Minneapolis Institute of Art

Children Setting up the Framework of a Storehouse

Utagawa Kuniyoshi; Publisher: Jōshūya Kinzō

Date

c. 1842

Medium

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

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

From the mid-18th century, a number of ukiyo-e artists designed prints that feature only children (kodomo-e, in Japanese). The prints were not intended for children, but rather for adults who enjoyed looking at images of innocent, happy children. Kuniyoshi designed a considerable number of kodomo-e, which reflects the playful and genial personality of the artist. In this image, he shows a group of young boys constructing the framework for a storehouse. He depicts them as experienced, confident carpenter-thus suggesting the charming way children mimic adults. Asia

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