Built complexes and districts; streets; banners; women; men (male humans); palanquins; processions; floats (vehicles); soldiers; kimonos; trees; fans (costume accessories); blinds (coverings); hairstyles; hats
A grand summer festival with a parade of palanquins and floats was staged on the 15th day of the 6th month to celebrate the Mountain Deity (Sanno) of Hie Shrine who had protected Edo Castle since 1478. Ota Dokan (1432-86), the military governor of...
Yoshiwara was the pleasure district of Edo, a city within the city surrounded by high walls and a water moat, which housed Edo's prostitutes from 1617 to 1957. Its courtesans were considered among the "Flowers of Edo." The print combines three...
courtesans; women; kimonos; hairstyles; hair ornaments; fans (costume accessories); children (people by age group); lanterns (lighting devices); tables (support furniture); porches; men (male humans)
A Yoshiwara Pleasure Quarters courtesan named Takao looks out at the moon and the bird flying by, thinking perhaps of her lover. Her costume and hairstyle closely resemble that the 17th century Takao portrayed by Yoshitoshi in his series "One...
Meiji period color woodblock print depicting the Emperor Go Daigo, beyond a screen at night, joining the moon viewing and poetry reciting of court ladies and attendants at the Imperial Villa in Yoshino.
fans (costume accessories); women; kimonos; snow (precipitation); trees; blinds (coverings); tables (support furniture); built works
The 10-11th century poet Sei Shonagon was invited to join the Imperial Court to enhance the literary atmosphere around Empress Teishi's entourage. Sei was known for her quick wit and critical eye, and compiled a "Pillowbook / Makura no Soshi" of...
Back to back print. A man in a blue robe and a black samurai hat stands holding a fan; a younger man in a red kimono and holding a sword sits at his feet. Behind them is a screen painted with crane, and through an open doorway one can see a stone...
Huangxiang was so devoted to his aged father that he lightly fanned him night and day throughout the summer. Okyo might be similarly dedicated, but the look on her face and the sash tied in front suggest that she is a prostitute cooling her client.
The poet and renown archer Minamoto no Yorimasa (1104-1180) was able to slay a mysterious beast / nue that plagued the imperial palace, and received in gratitude from Emperor Konoe a sword, presented by the Minister of the Left Fujiwara no Yorinaga...
Four of the great Meiji Period kabuki actors are represented in this triptych. Nakamura Shikan IV (1830-1899) in the role of Takeda Shingen (1521-1573) is at far right, next to Ichikawa Danjuro IX (1839-1903) playing the part of Rakuganji...
Two young men dressed in festival costumes stand in the foreground. Behind them another fellow raises wooden clappers to make a loud noise. The inset shows a Hie Sanno Festival float topped by a statue of a monkey, the messenger of the Sanno /...
men (male humans); soldiers; military uniforms; halberds; swords; chairs; fans (costume accessories); rifles (long guns); revolvers (firearms); maps; kimonos;
This imaginary group portrait has Saigo Takamori (1827-1877) seated at the top center panel dressed in a European style officer's uniform. He seems to direct his gaze toward Murata Shinpachi (1836-1877), his deputy in charge of the artillery,...
men (male humans); soldiers; trees; military uniforms; halberds; swords; flags; cannons (artillery); ships; shores (landforms); fans (costume accessories); chairs
On the shores of Kagoshima Bay, where an imperial navy ship steams toward Sakurajima, Saigo Takamori (1827-1877) stands before a captured cannon wearing his Western style officer's uniform. To the right of Saigo is Kirino Toshiaki (1838-1877)...
The warrior Ota Dokan Sukenaga (1432-1486) was caught in a rain storm and sought refuge at a rundown mill. The owner's daughter, instead of bringing him rain gear, delivered a fan decorated with yellow mountain rose flowers / yamabuki, making...
men (male humans); women; kimonos; military uniforms; chairs; daises; fans (costume accessories); hair ornaments; drums (membranophones); flowers (plants); vases
The emperor and empress sit on the dais in the background overseeing the presentation of the Emperor's Gift Cups to military leaders involved in quelling Saigu's Satsuma Rebellion. Yamagata Aritomo, Commander of the Imperial Army in Kyushu, is...
Ota Dokan approached an inn on a rainy day to request the loan of a rain coat. Instead, the maid brought him a Yamabuki flower on a tray. Her meaning was expressed by the poem "Although having many petals the Yamabuki, to our regret, has no seed."...
An old, bearded man holding a feather fan floats above a young man in white with a sword. A bucket and dipper sit in the background. Tengu are forest creatures with long noses who can fly and fight fiercely; his supernatural status is indicated in...
Watanabe no Tsuna, a Heian retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, accepted a dare to keep vigil at the Rasho Gate, reputed to be haunted by demons. He took up a post at the gate, and in the darkness, he was attacked by the demon--an oni. Drawing his...
porches; dwellings; Single Built Works; women; kimonos; children (people by age group); men (male humans); infants; fans (costume accessories); toys (recreational artifacts); stoves (heating equipment); lanterns (lighting devices); Japanese maple
Print. no. 6 from the series of parodies of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety. The top panel illustrated the story of Lady Tang who breast fed her elderly, toothless mother-in-law. In the lower panel a baby is crawling toward its mother, who...
A participant in the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate, after the Meiji Restoration Etō Shinpei was appointed to a number of government posts, including Minister of Justice where he played a part in overhauling Japan's penal code. He resigned...
In the autumn fashionable geisha would dress in their lover's garments to visit the neighborhood shrine and participate in Niwaka kyogen, impromptu skits about life in the brothels. Dressed like an elegant young man, a young lady glances up at a...
