Kunisada: Aoizaka: Beauty Tuning her Shamisen

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865)
Title: Aoizaka: Beauty Tuning Shamisen 葵坂
Series: One Hundred Beautiful Women at Famous Places in Edo 江戸名所百人美女 Edo Meisho Hyakunin Bijjo:
Date: 1857

A beauty is dressed for travel; she wears a traveling hat and gloves, and she carries a parcel on her back that is tied about her waist. She has stopped to tune her shamisen, which is unwrapped, so perhaps she is a traveling musician. In the inset cartouche we see the  spillway from Tameike Pond; the slope to the left is called Aoizaka Hill (Aoizaka).  Just to the right of the inset scene was Konpira Shrine, which was open to the public on the tenth day of each month; perhaps this musician is heading there for the festivities of that day.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition.  Untrimmed; no backing.
Dimensions: ôban (36.8 x 24.8 cm)
Signature: Toyokuni ga

SKU: KUS502