Torii Kiyonaga, Fuzoku Azuma no Nishiki, Hagi no Niwa, Ukiyo-e, British Museum, Berabo

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FM2910

This is one of a two-panel oban print titled Kiyonaga's Fuzoku Azuma no Nishiki: A Garden of Bush Clover.

It was found in a broken frame, so it has been replaced with a frame that previously held Utamaro / Shimi Shichinin Kesho.
The frame is made of wood for both the inner and outer borders, and the artwork is acrylic.
The mat is an elegant rose color and is clean with no stains.

There are minor scratches on the frame, though they are not noticeable.
Please check the images for size and other details.

The following is the text from the explanatory booklet.

Kiyonaga Fuzoku Azuma no Nishiki
Hagi no Niwa (A Garden of Bush Clover)
British Museum

KIYONAGA Füzoku Azuma no nishiki: A Garden of Bush Clover (Hagi no niwa). Oban diptych.
British Museum No. 1924-3-27-8(1~2)

Oban diptych, 25.2×38.0 cm, 25.2×38.0 cm

Artist's seal: Kiyonaga ga. Publisher's seal: None.

There are still temples and shrines known for their flowers such as peonies, hydrangeas, and maples, as well as famous trees. Among them was a temple called Ryugan-ji, where people would visit to admire the bush clover in its precincts. This temple is located in Kameido, Koto Ward, Tokyo. It was colloquially known as the Hagi-dera (Bush Clover Temple).
The charm of each season, from wisteria to plum blossoms, brings relaxation to life, and there are many ukiyo-e prints that depict this. This Hagi no Niwa likely refers to Hagi-dera.
This is a masterpiece from Kiyonaga's famous series Fuzoku Azuma no Nishiki, released as a set, and is a celebrated work with an expanded composition as a two-panel print. It is part of a series that represents the pinnacle of Kiyonaga's art around the Tenmei era (1781-1789), often praised as the Kiyonaga style, with approximately twenty works identified.
The inspiration comes not from the pleasure quarters, but from depictions of the customs of Edo townhouses and streets.
Rather than being limited to themes like Eight Views or Twelve Months, the prints seem to capture moments as they occurred, depicting the lives of women indoors, women going out, street vendors, shrine visits, and cherry blossom viewing, showcasing various aspects of daily life. Cherry Blossom Viewing and Hagi no Niwa are a two-panel set.
This might be a variation for long-term publication during the period of artistic creation. However, it captures the elegant and graceful beauty of women in a myriad of poses and actions, depicting them in a large-scale, almost parallel arrangement, while still evoking the atmosphere of the scene. Samurai customs are also woven in.
This is a representative work of Kiyonaga, a peerless artist who modestly celebrated the Edo beauty of Japanese women, referred to as roadside Venuses in the West, with a sense of self-restraint due to his amateur status in painting. It represents the art historical ukiyo-e style.
(By Muneshige Fukuzaki)