Kawanabe Kyōsai: Famous places of Edo:Night scene of Namiyoke at Tsukiji (Edo meisho:Tsukiji Namiyoke no yakei (Sold)

Artist: Kawanabe Kyōsai
Title: Famous places of Edo:Night scene of Namiyoke at Tsukiji (Edo meisho:Tsukiji Namiyoke no yakei
Date: 1864/2

Two scenes are combined in one print, separated by a zigzag line in the middle. The background is a starry night of Edo Bay, in which numerous types of boats are busy with their activities. Fisher boats with torches must be the catchers of shirauo silver fish. The area is known for Namiyoke-fudô, a divinity for fishers. In the foreground three beauties of Yoshiwara Nakano-cho are depicted in a restaurant: on the right Oaki, a shamisen player in her kimono with pattern of maple leaves on Tatta River, a famous design but Kyôsai makes a variety of the traditional design and puts deers with human legs, a fantastic creature. Her obi belt has butterflies. In the center Okoma dances with a fan, her head turning towards back, to the other dancer on the left sheet. Okoma is dressed in kimono with octopuses which smoke with pipes and play with toys with other legs. Her obi belt has sea weeds and turban shells. On the left Okaru of Iwai-ya dances with a fan designed with tengu, a long-nosed goblin and his attributes. She wears kimono with a carp swimming up the waterfall. Her obi is decorated with thunder gods with their drums. In front of them stand glass lanterns, called giyaman which were very modern at the time. They constrast with the traditional lantern from the ceiling of the restaurant. Kyôsai’s best bijin triptych.

Dimensions: ôban triptych
Publisher: Daikokuya Kin’nosuke/Kinjirô
Literature: Israel Gold man Collection 2002 Ill.19.
Seal: carver’s seal on the left sheet ‘Shimogata kami ? Hori Yasu’
Signature: Oju Seisei Kyôsai

SKU: KYO021