Page 173 - 2021 March 16th Japanese and Korean Art, Christie's New York City

158 UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)

Asakusa tanbo Torinomachi

mode (Asakusa Ricefields and
Torinomachi Festival)

Woodblock print, from the seires Meisho Edo
hyakkei(One Hundred views of famous places
in Edo), signed Hiroshige ga, published by Uoya
Eikichi, 11th month 1857
Vertical oban: 14¿ x 9Ω in. (35.9 x 24.1 cm.)

$10,000-20,000

Resting on a window ledge, a white cat gazes out
through a barred window over the Asakusa rice-fields
below. A flock of birds descend towards Mount Fuji in
the southwest and a long silhouetted line of a festival
procession extends across the paddies. Here was the
sight of Otori Shrine, worshipped particularly by the
commoner class in the Edo period for commercial
favour and fortune, and communally celebrated in the
Torinomachi festival in November.
The room seemingly belongs to a courtesan from the
Yoshiwara district, with the raised viewpoint suggesting
that it is located somewhere on the upper levels of an
establishment. Beside the cat is a small towel (tenugui),
which has been left draped on the window ledge, and
a blue and white tea bowl (chawan) decorated with
karakusascrolls. Hairpins in their wrapping lay on the
floor next to what appears to be a folded cloth, mostly
obscured from view. The wallpaper is decorated with
pairs of stylised plovers (chidori), one in white and the
other with the colour inverted. The printer masterfully
uses the natural woodgrain of the woodblock to lend
texture to the wallpaper design. The subtle touches
of the courtesan’s presence provide the room with a
feeling of intimacy.