Set of Three Hanging Scrolls, Day Dream Plays - Nishimura Shigenaga

An early eighteenth-century Japanese woodblock print by Nishimura Shigenaga, featuring three women in a domestic setting rendered in the benizuri-e style.

This woodblock print by Nishimura Shigenaga belongs to the early period of Ukiyo-e, specifically the benizuri-e style, which utilised a limited palette of pink and green pigments applied to monochrome prints. Shigenaga was a teacher to several later masters, including Harunobu, and his work reflects the technical transition from hand-coloured prints to the multi-block colour printing that would define the genre later in the eighteenth century.

The composition depicts three women in an interior setting, arranged in a manner that mimics a triptych of hanging scrolls. The figures are seated on tatami mats, engaged in quiet, domestic activities. The artist employs a flattened perspective, common in early Edo-period prints, where the architectural elements of the room serve as a frame for the figures. The women wear patterned kimonos, and their postures are relaxed, suggesting a scene of leisure or private contemplation. The inclusion of text within the image, integrated into the hanging scrolls depicted on the wall, provides a narrative layer typical of the period, where poetry and visual art were closely linked.

Shigenaga is known for his experimentation with perspective and his influence on the development of the print medium. This work demonstrates his ability to balance decorative patterns with human form. The use of soft, muted colours creates a sense of harmony, while the clean lines define the figures against the sparse background. As an example of early eighteenth-century Japanese printmaking, this piece offers a view into the aesthetic priorities of the time, focusing on the grace of the subjects and the balance of the overall design. The print remains a record of the stylistic conventions that preceded the full-colour nishiki-e prints of the later Edo period.