Minneapolis Institute of Art

Appearing Warm, Behavior of an Urban Widow of the Kansei Era

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi; Publisher: Tsunajima Kamekichi

Date

March 1888

Medium

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

On a cold winter day, a lonely widow is tucked under a heavy kimono, seeking warmth from a kotatsu, a low, wooden table covered by a blanket with a charcoal brazier underneath. Unique to Japan, this source of heating is still used today, albeit the heat source is now electric. The widow is absorbed in a novel and about to turn a page. Her cat lies next to her on top of the kotatsu, enjoying the warmth as well. The time period this portrait refers to is the Kansei era (1789–1801), when married women had their eyebrows shaved off as a sign of dedication to their husbands. Asia

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.