Kunisada: Night scene in Ryôgoku Kunisada: Night scene in Ryôgoku Kunisada: Night scene in Ryôgoku

Kunisada: Night scene in Ryôgoku
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Kunisada: Night scene in Ryôgoku
Move your mouse over image or click to enlarge
Kunisada: Night scene in Ryôgoku
Move your mouse over image or click to enlarge

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) (1786-1865)

Six geishas having a cheerful party on a summer's night. On the terrace of an inn overlooking the Sumida river, they are amusing themselves by playing the fist or finger game (ken-asobi), listening to shamisen music and enjoying various special summer dishes. In the background Ryôgoku bridge stretches across the river.

Titel: 両国夜陰光景 - Ryôgoku yain kôkei (A night scene at Ryôgoku)

Series: 東都名所四季之内 - Tôto meisho shiki no uchi (Famous Views of the Eastern Capital, i.e. Edo, in the Four Seasons)

Signature: Toyokuni ga (in Toshidama-cartouches)

Publisher: Ebisuya Shôshichi (Kinshodô), Edo

Censors: Fuku, Muramatsu

Date: 1853, 6th month

Size: Ôban triptych, c. 37 x 75,5 cm (overall)

Excellent impression and colours, with some metal pigment (oxidized). Unbacked and untrimmed. Some faint unobtrusive blot stains, mostly only visible from back, a few smoothed creases, a small paper loss in the upper right corner, expertly restored. Overall very nice condition. Rare triptych, a very atmospheric scene.

The somewhat austere facial features of the women are due to the fact that the artist made them resemble famous Kabuki actors of the time - from right: Onoe Baikô IV, Segawa Kikunojô V, Bandô Shûka I, Iwai Hanshirô VII, Ichimura Uzaemon XIII and Iwai Kumesaburô. Cf. no. 116 of the Nishiki-e Collection of the Ajinomoto Foundation for Dietary Culture, which owns another copy of this triptych. Cf. also Edo-Tokyo Museum, No. 95201611, Waseda 201-3315/3316/3317.

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