Triptych of Umbrellas 1691 - 1768

Okumura Masanobu created this triptych of woodblock prints sometime in the early 18th century, during Japan’s Edo period. At first glance, this work presents a scene of elegant women strolling with umbrellas in a stylized landscape. But, the piece also illustrates the rigid social hierarchy of the time. During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate enforced strict class distinctions, and these prints, known as ukiyo-e, played a role in both reflecting and subtly critiquing these norms. Ukiyo-e prints, though popular among the merchant class, were often viewed with suspicion by the ruling samurai class because they depicted a world of transient pleasures and challenged the austere values promoted by the shogunate. The umbrellas, a symbol of status, and the women's elaborate kimonos, signal a certain level of wealth and social standing. But these prints were, in a sense, mass-produced, making them accessible to a wider audience and blurring the lines of class distinction. The historian can contextualize this work through the study of sumptuary laws of the time, popular culture, and the economics of print production, understanding that the meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.