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The Chidori Tama River and the Kôya Tama River

Katsukawa Shunzan

1792

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Ukiyo-e 18th Century

Dominant colour

The Chidori Tama River and the Kôya Tama River is a 1792 paint by Katsukawa Shunzan, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Katsukawa Shunzan
When & what style?: 1792 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows two scenes of boys playing by rivers. The boys on the right are fishing, while the ones on the left are looking at a scroll. It's interesting that the artist paired each of Japan's six "Jewel" Rivers with a group of boys in different activities. To learn more about the methods used to create this piece, look into the technique of chiaroscuro.

The story of this work

Overview

The design shows two scenes side by side: on the right, boys prepare to fish, and on the left, others examine a scroll painting. It was created as a preliminary study for two prints in a series pairing rivers with children’s activities. The drawing was later transferred facedown to a cherry wood block, a process that typically destroyed the original. Though never printed, the design survives as an example of Shunzan’s preparatory work.

Read the full account in the museum source.