Yoshu Chikanobu's "Chiyoda Inner Palace" series of woodblock printed triptychs was first published from 1895-1897. It depicts the lives of women in Edo Castle before the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when the palace was home to the shogun and his court. Edo Castle was also known as Chiyoda Castle, and the Inner Palace area housed the shogun's wife and unmarried daughters, his male heir, and many ladies-in-waiting and servants. After 1868, the shogun's family were forced out of the palace and it became the Imperial Palace. This series of 40 scenes illustrate seasonal activities, ceremonies, rituals, and pastimes both inside and outside of the women's private quarters.

Meher McArthur, Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Curator of Academic Programs and Collections

Oval and fish-shaped seals in the lower left. Cartouche in the upper right.

Colored ink woodblock print on paper; triptych.

Meiji period color woodblock triptych print depicting a man laying down seed (left panel) while a woman stands nearby with more seeds (middle panel). Two additional women are shown in the right panel. Part of a series of 40 scenes inside the women's quarters of the shogun's palace in Edo.

Fukuda Hatsujiro, at Nihonbashi, Tokyo.

This object has the following keywords:

• Meiji (no date)
• Workers

This object is a member of the following portfolios: