Artwork

四季の花|New Year's Games, from the printed book Flowers of the Four Seasons (Shiki no hana)

四季の花|New Year's Games, from the printed book Flowers of the Four Seasons (Shiki no hana) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Kitagawa Utamaro. It dates from 1801 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1801 by the Edo‑period artist Kitagawa Utamaro, this woodblock print forms part of the illustrated volume Flowers of the Four Seasons (Shiki no hana). Executed with ink and color on paper, the image presents a genre scene of women engaged in New Year’s games within a garden setting. The work is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Subject & Meaning

Four figures populate the composition, each dressed in brightly patterned kimono. Two women on the left stand beneath a bamboo fence, one fanning herself and the other supporting a walking stick. On the right, a woman leans over a wooden railing to retrieve a ball, while another watches from the ledge. The scene captures a moment of seasonal leisure, reflecting customary New Year festivities.

Technique & Style

Utamaro employs the ukiyo‑e woodblock method, applying flat areas of pigment bounded by clean outlines. The limited use of shading emphasizes the rhythmic gestures of the figures rather than facial expression. Subtle variations in line weight suggest depth, while the overall flatness highlights the decorative quality of the kimono patterns and the garden’s architectural elements.

History & Provenance

The print was originally issued as a page in the multi‑volume Flowers of the Four Seasons, a series that documented seasonal flora and associated customs. After circulating in the early nineteenth‑century market, the sheet entered private collections before being acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view as an example of Utamaro’s genre prints.