Life and Leisure: Everyday Life in Japanese Painting

This exhibition of paintings and a few ceramics provides insight into customs, occupations, and leisure pastimes in urban and rural settings during the last phase of warrior rule by shoguns and samurai activities in Japan during the Edo period (1615-1868). Many works illustrate seasonal leisure activities, such as festivals, picnics, and children playing. Women, including professional entertainers of the urban "floating world," are shown engaged in mundane tasks. An accompanying exhibition of Japanese screens in a nearby gallery includes a detailed view of horse races and equestrian sports. The exhibition complements Freer's exhibition on Work and Commerce: Everyday Life in Chinese Painting.