Untitled (Two Women Reading) - Hishikawa Morofusa

A monochrome woodblock print by Hishikawa Morofusa depicting two women reading in a domestic interior, rendered in the classic Ukiyo-e style.

This woodblock print by Hishikawa Morofusa captures a quiet domestic scene from the late seventeenth century. The composition features two women engaged in reading, surrounded by open books and a reading stand. The artist employs the characteristic sumizuri-e technique, which relies entirely on black ink printed onto paper, without the addition of colour. This method emphasises the clarity of the line work and the balance between positive and negative space.

The figures are depicted in the typical style of the Hishikawa school, with graceful, flowing lines defining their posture and the folds of their kimono. The patterns on the garments, featuring floral motifs and geometric shapes, provide a decorative quality that contrasts with the plain background. The inclusion of a screen with a leaf pattern adds a sense of interior space, though the perspective remains flattened, a hallmark of the Ukiyo-e aesthetic of the period.

Morofusa, a member of the Hishikawa family, worked within the tradition established by his father, Hishikawa Moronobu. His work reflects the cultural focus on the floating world, or ukiyo, which celebrated the leisure activities and fashions of the urban population in Edo. The print offers a glimpse into the literacy and pastimes of women during this era, presenting a scene of intellectual engagement within a private setting. The simplicity of the medium allows the viewer to focus on the arrangement of the figures and the subtle details of the books and textiles. This print is a representative example of the early development of the woodblock print medium in Japan, where the focus was on the expressive potential of the printed line and the depiction of contemporary life.