Minneapolis Institute of Art

Lantern Plants Imitating Children at Play

Utagawa Hiroshige; Publisher: Ibaya Kyūbei

Date

c. 1842

Medium

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

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Hōzuki, lantern plants (also known as ground-cherries) bear red fruit in summer. Using needle, Japanese children poke small holes in the fruits, through which they remove the flesh and seeds. Blowing into the holes in the skins, they delight in producing trumpet-like sounds. Hiroshige anthropomorphized this popular plant, rendering them in the form of dancing children. The round fruits represent the children's heads, and the peeled back calyxes serve as their bodies. Two of the children carry younger ones on their backs. Asia

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