Waking Up: A Girl of the Kōka Era (1844–1848)

Waking Up: A Girl of the Kōka Era (1844–1848)

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The series that made Yoshitoshi a noted artist was one of the most important Meiji series of ukiyo-e prints of beauties. The lady cleans her teeth with a split-bamboo toothbrush. Her cotton sleeping robe slips off one shoulder, and a few strands of her hair have come loose, suggesting that she is only half awake. The large morning-glory flowers, known as asagao (literally, "morning faces"), in the pot behind her on the right, are cleverly associated with the portrait. The excellence of the technique of this print is demonstrated in the fine lines representing the woman's hair, and reveals Yoshitoshi's genius for sensitive and sophisticated compositions.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Waking Up: A Girl of the Kōka Era (1844–1848)Waking Up: A Girl of the Kōka Era (1844–1848)Waking Up: A Girl of the Kōka Era (1844–1848)Waking Up: A Girl of the Kōka Era (1844–1848)Waking Up: A Girl of the Kōka Era (1844–1848)

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.