神奈川横浜港崎町遊女屋光景|View of the Miyozaki Brothel District in Yokohama, Kanagawa (Kanagwa Yokohama Miyozaki machi yūjoya kōkei)
4th month, 1864
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (a): 14 3/8 x 9 3/4 in. (36.5 x 24.8 cm) Image (b): 14 1/2 x 9 7/8 in. (36.8 x 25.1 cm) Image (c): 14 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (36.8 x 24.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Accession Number
2007.49.177a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant triptych woodblock by Utagawa Yosha captures the bustling Miyozaki Brothel District Yokohama, Kanagawa during the 4th month of 1864. A master of the Utagawa school, Yoshitor specialized in ukiyo-e—"pictures of the floating world"—icting scenes of everyday life, entertainment, and urban pleasures in late Edo-period Japan (1615–1868). Printed with ink and color on paper, the three sheets (each around 14½ x 9¾ inches) combine to form a panoramic view, a technique that allowed artists to unfold expansive narratives across multiple panels. Created just five years after Yokohama opened...
About the Artist
Utagawa Yoshitora · 1845–1880
Utagawa Yoshitora (歌川 芳虎), also known by his art names Ichimōsai, Mōsai, and Kinchōrō, was a prolific ukiyo-e artist born in Edo (modern Tokyo), where he trained under the renowned Utagawa Kuniyoshi, recognized as his oldest pupil. Little is known of his early life, which remains sparsely documented, but his earliest works include illustrations for the book *Story of Karasu Kanzaemon’s Loyalty* in...