Kuniyoshi - Hodomoyoshi's Fashionable Otsu Pictures

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Katô Shigeuji (加藤左ェ門重氏) holding a sake cup. Ôtsu-e: Asahina Saburô drinking a huge bowl of sake. 程芳流行大津絵」 「加藤左ェ門重氏

Ôtsu-e are traditional folk paintings sold to travelers in Ôtsu, on Lake Biwa near Kyoto. The vast majority of Ôtsu-e are of a relatively small number of subjects, making them recognizable by both their simple style and their subject matter. In this series, figures are paired with Ôtsu-e. Although the prints are each signed “Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi ga” (一勇斎 国芳 画), Kuniyoshi uses the pseudonym “Hodomoyoshi” (程芳), which may also be pronounced “Hodoyoshi”, in the red title cartouche adjoining the Ôtsu-e.

Date:1843

Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô

Condition: Good impression and color, print is not backed, cropped as shown, some stains and small holes.

Reference: http://www.kuniyoshiproject.com/Hodomoyoshi%27s%20Fashionable%20Otsu%20Pictures.htm