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Ukiyo-e in 207 Words

When visiting galleries of 浮世絵, ukiyo-e, the spectator is consumed by portraits of actors, beautiful women, and nature scenes. Such were the themes that guided Japan’s ukiyo-e artists for hundreds of years. Such themes are understandable since the major clientele for ukiyo-e were merchants who in the Edo era had their political status stripped. Placed at the bottom of the social hierarchy, merchants were considered to be freeloaders who made money off other people’s work. To escape this harsh reality, the merchant class became frequent visitors to the pleasure districts of Japanese cities. Hence the term 浮世, or “floating world”, originated to describe the other world that the pleasure quarters provided. Therefore, the most popular prints were of the actors that the merchants saw in the kabuki theaters, the beauties that they met in the brothels, and the landscapes that offered fleeting escapism. Despite the fact that ukiyo-e was considered to be low brow art, the level of talent and artistry required to produce a single print was astounding. Many ukiyo-e touched upon themes that were not obvious to the patron at one glance. One such print was Three Children Playing in the Snow by 北尾重政, Kitao Shigemasa.

Kitao Shigemasa

Kitao Shigemasa lived from 1739-1820 and worked as an ukiyo-e artist in Edo. Shigemasa was different from most ukiyo-e artists because he was self-taught. He was introduced to ukiyo-e at a very early age because his family ran a bookshop. Perhaps it was the fact that Shigemasa was self-taught that made him have such a creative impact on ukiyo-e. He was known primarily for doing prints of beautiful women. It was said that he portrayed Japanese women more truthfully than anybody else working in ukiyo-e. His women were often positioned in powerful poses and depicted with strong, serious colors. His work led to the creation of the Kitao School of ukiyo-e. In addition to beautiful women, Shigemasa also occasionally did work in other genres. He sometimes did nature scenes, but also did some prints with regular people in them. Hence, we arrive at Three Children Playing in the Snow.

Preliminary Analysis

The drawing depicts three boys which, judging by their topknots, are uninitiated members of the samurai class. They appear to be younger than fifteen years old which was the traditional time that samurai boys would be initiated. They are extremely smooth faced which was common of samurai in ukiyo-e. However, when compared to another ukiyo-e of Shigemasa, Girl with Insect Cage and Girl Reading a Letter, the boys’ faces almost seem feminine. Granted, the girls’ faces are much more solemn; the two sets of faces contain the same quality of smoothness. The two boys who are best depicted in the foreground of the image are rolling up a giant snowball. The third boy is standing behind the second boy who covers about 2/3 of his body. He is covering his mouth with his hands as if he is laughing. All three are wearing incredibly colorful clothing. The foremost boy is wearing a robe with a picture of a crane which is no doubt the seal of his family. I find it interesting that although they are playing with snow, they are not wearing gloves or shoes. They are literally standing on the snow. In the background is a plum tree in bloom. However, it is covered with snow, obscuring the flowers. The three boys seem to be having a lot of fun.

Interpretive Analysis

The entire piece is largely impressionistic. This was the case with most ukiyo-e, but the absence of shoes on the boys suggests that this is a depiction of a memory or longing. Even if the weather outside was balmy, the snow would remain cold and could give the boys frostbite. However, this probably was not a concern of the artist who wanted to depict three boys playing in the snow. The major theme of this ukiyo-e was probably intended to be nostalgia. There are three main observations that support this theory.

1) The boy’s hair.

As previously mentioned, the boys still had their topknots. This meant that they had not yet received genpuku, or the samurai initiation rite. It took place between the ages of 8-15. During wartime, the boys may be initiated sooner so as to increase the clan’s ranks. However, in peacetime, boys received genpuku when they were around 15. During the genpuku, the boy would first have his forehead shaved with the remaining hair pulled back and tied into a knot on the top of the scalp. The boy would then receive a sword and bow to the family alter. The whole affair was simple and quick. Having these older, uninitiated boys symbolizes that they live in peacetime when there is no need to initiate younger boys. It also invokes childish emotions and memories of the time of transition into adulthood. This would make the viewer wistful for such a peaceful and happy time.

2) The plum blossoms.

In Japan, the blooming of plum blossoms was considered to be symbolic of the start of spring. They were some of the first flowers to bloom every year, with the average time in Edo being in February and March. However, there were times in Japan when it would snow in these months. Therefore, there were occurrences of fully blossoming plum trees being covered with snow. Snow covered plum trees became a favorite symbol in Japanese art for representing transition because you have the flowers which could represent adulthood being covered by snow. Since snow was considered pure, it could also represent a time of innocence.

3) The positioning within the frame.

The objects in the drawing are positioned in a circle. The snowball can be seen as the center. The three boys are next to the snowball and therefore continue the effect. The first boy is in front of the snowball, the second is to his left and is partially obscured by the snowball, and the third is obscured behind the second boy. This creates a “V” shape which seems to be another layer of the snowball. Finally, the tree comes out of the right of the frame and curves over the entire scene past the three boys. It curves up and then down, creating a third circular effect. The overall symbol of the circle could refer to many things in Japanese culture: The Dharma Wheel, the progression of the seasons (which further emphasizes the symbology of the snow covered plum blossom), the Zen symbol of Yin and Yang, and the cycle of human life.

Conclusion

These three reasons, the boys’ hair, the snow covered blossoms, and the positioning of the objects in the frame of the picture, all lead the viewer to feel emotions of nostalgia: Nostalgia for a lost childhood, nostalgia for lost innocence, and nostalgia for a simpler time. However, it also represents transitions and new beginnings. The boys will soon be men, the snow will still melt, and eventually the circle of snow will disappear. But, the men still remain, the tree still blooms, and the snow will come again next year. Such is the way of ukiyo-e.