Cherry Blossoms in the Wind (late 1790s): Art, History and Details

Cherry Blossoms in the Wind (late 1790s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese, 1769–1825).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Highly regarded for his images of actors, Toyokuni was also known for his prints of beauties that demonstrate his brilliant skill in composition. This triptych depicts a joyful hanami (flower viewing) scene in spring. One woman stands on a huge wine bottle, while another one sits on a samurai’s shoulder; in both scenes, the women are tying prayers or poems on tree branches. On the left, two servants protect a well-dressed lady from the wind. Their fluttering, long-sleeved kimonos capture the wind’s movement. Standing in a triad, the three groups form a stable, harmonic composition against the cherry blossom background.

Object facts

• Title: Cherry Blossoms in the Wind
• Date: late 1790s
• Creator attribution: Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese, 1769–1825)
• Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
• Type: Print
• Technique: color woodblock print, ink and color on paper
• Dimensions: Overall: 38.7 x 80 cm (15 1/4 x 31 1/2 in.)
• Collection: Japanese Art
• Department: Japanese Art
• Accession number: 1975.97.c

Collection credit

Gift of Jeptha H. Wade in honor of Emily V. Wade

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1975.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 63, no. 2 (February 1976): 31–71.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.