An Actor's Boating Party on the Sumida River 1695 - 1715

Editor: Here we have Torii Kiyomasu I’s “An Actor’s Boating Party on the Sumida River,” a print dating from between 1695 and 1715. The composition is really interesting with these two boats juxtaposed against the irises in the water. What can you tell me about it? Curator: I'm drawn to the print's depiction of leisure. How does it both reflect and potentially reinforce class structures and hierarchies within Edo-period Japanese society? Who gets to participate in this kind of "boating party," and what power dynamics are at play? Editor: I see your point. It's easy to get caught up in the seeming joy, but who is included, and therefore excluded, is crucial. Curator: Exactly. Think about the Sumida River itself. It's not just a picturesque backdrop, it's a space of labor, transport, and also social division. Boating parties like this would have been highly visible displays of wealth and status, especially since Kabuki actors, though popular, were also often stigmatized. Does that tension come through to you? Editor: It wasn't immediately obvious, but knowing that actors held a complicated place in society, seeing them in this leisure scene feels different. Curator: It adds layers, doesn't it? The print becomes a site of negotiation, reflecting the complex social realities of the time, the precariousness of even celebrated people. We need to unpack the nuances within these seemingly carefree scenes, looking for the power dynamics etched into every line. Editor: This really highlights how art provides such an interesting window into social structures, it isn’t just pretty pictures. Curator: Precisely! And examining art this way pushes us to consider whose stories are being told, and whose are being left out of the frame, or even the boat.