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「東都名所 吉原仲之町夜桜」
Cherry Blossoms at Night on Naka-no-chô in the Yoshiwara (Yoshiwara Naka-no-chô yozakura), from the series Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Tôto meisho)
「東都名所 吉原仲之町夜桜」
Japanese
Edo period
about 1832–38 (Tenpô 3–9)
Medium/Technique
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Horizontal ôban; 25.2 x 37.7 cm (9 15/16 x 14 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.39266
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia, Prints and Drawings
ClassificationsPrints
The living cherry trees brought in to decorate the Yoshiwara each spring were considered especially beautiful at night, when their pale flowers shone in the glow of moonlight and lantern light. The cherry blossoms were also a metaphor for the beautiful young women of the quarter, such as the two top-ranking courtesans who parade in all their finery, each accompanied by a pair of child attendants known as kamuro, past the temporary park set up in Naka-no-chō, the main street.
Catalogue Raisonné
Forrer, Hiroshige (1997), #8; Sakai, Hiroshige Edo fûkei (1996), list #51.31, pl. 502; Ukiyo-e shûka 14 (1981), Hiroshige list, p. 244, horizontal ôban #66.21; Tanba 1965, #25; Matsuki 1939, #18
DescriptionMFA impressions: *11.2073 (deaccessioned in 2019), 11.24932, 11.39266, 11.39267, 20.66, 21.9861, 21.9862
Signed
Hiroshige ga
広重画
広重画
Marks
Censor's seal: kiwame
改印：極
改印：極
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850–d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 19, 2005)
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.