Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

1786-1865

One Hundred Beauties from Famous Places in Edo: Mimeguri
(Edo meisho hyakunin bijo: Mimeguri)

signed Toyokuni ga within the artist's toshidama cartouche, signed Kunihisa ga (Utagawa Kunihisa II, 1832-1891) within the inset landscape cartouche; with publisher's seal Juichi, Marukyu (Maruya Kyushiro), censor's seal aratame (examined), and censor's date seal Mi-juni (year of the snake [1857], 12th month)

oban tate-e 14 5/8 by 10 1/8 in., 37.3 by 25.7 cm

This composition depicts a beauty kneeling beside a large umbrella, set before an inset landscape cartouche of the Mimeguri shrine. The Mimeguri Jinja, located in Mukojima, was a landmark along the ferry ride from central Edo to the pleasure quarters of Yoshiwara. The central dieties at the temple are dedicated to Ebisu, the god of fisherman, commerce and good fortune; and Daikoku, god of wealth and farmers. The shrine was frequented by the denziens of the entertainment districts, where they also would pay their respects at a grave-mound of a murdered slave boy- the loss of a child would have resonated as a particularly female tragedy.

Reference:
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (mfa.org), from the Bigelow Collection, accession nos. 11.15085 and 11.29986

(inv. no. 10-2822)

price: $900