Kunisada II: Beauty riding on an ox
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Utagawa Kunisada II (1823-1880) / Utagawa Hiroshige II (1826-1869)

A young beauty riding on an ox and watching two butterflies in the air. She is accompanied by an elderly lady carrying a wooden water vessel with a blooming cherry branch. Above a landscape view with a temple, designed like a framed ex-voto picture (hôgaku).

Title: Chichibu junrei shichiban Ushibushi Seitaizan Hôchôji (No. 7 of the Chichibu pilgrimage, the Hôchô temple at Mt. Seitai at Ushibushi) - Hanazono Saemon no toku no chôshin nanigashi (The story of Hanazono Saemon’s vassal)

Series: Kannon Reigenki (Records of the miracles of Kannon)

Signature: Kunisada ga, in Toshidama cartouche, and Hiroshige (temple view)

Blockcutter: Yokokawa Takejirô

Publisher: Yamadaya Shôjirô (Yamashô, Kinkyôdô), Edo

Date: 1959, 5th month

Size: Vertical Ôban, 37.5 x 25.4 cm (overall)

Excellent impression and colours, with shomenzuri (lustre-printing). Four tiny pinholes in upper margin, a little soiling and rubbing in margins. Unobtrusive weak horizontal crease. Overall very nice condition.
Cf. MFA Boston No 11.42624, with a complete transcription of the text written by the author Mantei Ôga (1818-1890).
The series, planned for a hundred images but apparently not completely realised, is dedicated to the three ancient main pilgrimage routes to the Kannon (Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara) temples of Japan – in Saigoku (Kansai, Western Japan), Chichibu (Saitama, Central Japan), and Bandô (Kantô, Eastern Japan).

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