A Picnic in the Floating World

Japanese picnic sets such as this one were used by the towns’ merchant class (chōnin) for picnics to enjoy a shared meal in a natural location. This object tells us stories of enjoying the beauty of the autumn season and its characteristic flowers, while at the same time expressing the chōnin’s longing for fun and ephemeral pleasure, and the desire for an escape from urban worklife and responsibilities.