Mie Gallery Print Exhibit at The Hilbert Museum

We are excited to be included in a series of new exhibitions at the Hilbert Museum in Orange, California. The title of our exhibit is "Famous Restaurant Prints in Edo". We will have 23 prints on display by five amazing ukiyo-e artists; Hiroshige, Kunichika, Kuniyoshi, Yoshitoshi, and Kunisada. If you don't have the chance to see the exhibit in person, below we have an overview of the prints in the show.

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Famous Restaurant Prints in Edo

In the bustling heart of 19th-century Edo (modern-day Tokyo), the restaurant was more than just a place to dine—it was a stage for fashion, fame, and the theater of daily life. Many of the era’s most prominent woodblock print artists, including Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Toyohara Kunichika, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Utagawa Kuniyoshi, were commissioned to illustrate prints of the most popular establishments. These prints served a dual purpose: as works of art and as sophisticated advertisements for a growing urban audience eager to see and be seen.

Restaurants recognized the marketing power of ukiyo-e and often enlisted artists to elevate their image through scenes that captured the architecture, atmosphere, and vibrant personalities who frequented them. These compositions paired well-known kabuki actors, courtesans, or entertainers with restaurant interiors and exteriors.

Famous Restaurants of the Eastern Capital

A collaborative series published in 1852-1853 by two of the most famous woodblock print artists, Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Hiroshige. Kunisada designed the actor images in the foreground, while Hiroshige designed the inset landscapes in the background, likely representing scenes near the respective restaurants.

You can read more about this series in our blog.

Thirty-six Famous Tokyo Restaurants

This 1870 series by artist Toyohara Kunichika, pairs famous geisha with famous restaurants. The square panel at top left shows either a specialty food or some aspect of the restaurant. The large yellow cartouche  on the right shows the series' title, name of the geisha and the restaurant's address. The background is split diagonally with a sumi-e (ink) style painting for the bottom half, and a red "asa-no-ha"or hemp leaf pattern in the top diagonal.

You can read more about this series and see our complete collection in our blog.

Thirty-Six Modern Restaurants

This 1878 series by Toyohara Kunichika depicts popular beauties (their names are in the small red rectangular cartouches) enjoying the scenery and ambiance of the popular restaurants of the day. This series also focused on the application of Western perspective for the detailed interior and exterior views.

You can see our complete collection of this series in our blog.

Other Artists

We wrap up the exhibit with a selection of prints. One by Utagawa Kuniyoshi from his 1852 series "Thirty-Six Fashionable Restaurants in Edo". Two prints by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi from his series, "A Collection of Desires." 1878. And "Beautiful Women and Fancy Dishes in Tokyo." 1871. Finally a couple of prints by Utagawa Hiroshige from his "55 Stages of the Tokaido" series, and his 1840 "Famous Restaurants in Edo" series.

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