Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) / Toyokuni III (三代豊国) (artist 1786 – 01/12/1865)
The Third Month (Hanamizuki - 花見月) from the series The Twelve Months (Jūnika tsuki no uchi - 十二ヶ月のうち)
1851
10 in x 15 in (Overall dimensions) color woodblock print
Signed: Toyokuni ga (豊国画)
Publisher: Minatoya Kohei (Marks 332 - seal 24-074)
Censor seals: Mera and Watanabe
Ukiyoe ni kiku
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
National Diet Library
Lyon Collection - another Toyokuni III print showing a tachibina There are two prints in the Lyon Collection which prominently display the tachibina, this one and #1574. Both use of dolls are dead giveaways that this print represents the tradition Japanese third month, the month of the Girl's Festival, the jōshi no sekku (女子の節句). The festival today is referred to as the hinamatsuri (雛祭).
"The dolls for this festival were originally simple affairs, standing dolls called tachibina, but always representations of the dairi or imperial couple. These consisted of paper folded around wooden sticks."
Quoted from: Andon 34 by Ken Vos, August 1990, p. 62.
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Illustrated in color in Playthings and Pastimes in Japanese Prints by Lea Baten, Weatherhill, Inc., 1995, page 56.
Minatoya Kohei (湊屋小兵衛) (publisher)
Genji related prints (Genji-e - 源氏絵) (genre)