Kunisada - Group 2 - No. Hyaku

Utagawa Kunisada

Group 2, No. Hyaku. Yakushi, Kayabacho from the series The Flowers of Edo Matched with Famous Places (Edo no hana meisho awase). A collaborative harimaze series, The kabuki actor Iwai Shijaku as the Hairdesser Bunshichi (by Kunisada), A Geisha Admiring a Peony Plant (by Kunihisa) and Plant Nurseries of Kayabacho depicted by Hiroshige II.

The term “flowers of Edo” (Edo no hana) can refer, among other things, to fires. The title panel for each print in this series shows the lanterns and identifying standard (matoi) for one of the brigades of firefighters (hikeshi) assigned to various districts. On the west side of the Sumida River were 48 brigades named for the symbols of the kana syllabary and grouped into 8 numbered groups (1 to 10, minus the bad-luck numbers 4 and 7). On the east side of the river, brigades were numbered and assigned to directional groups. Outlying districts were covered by special brigades, here designated “extra” (bangai). Each title gives the name or number of a brigade, its group, and its district, followed by the kabuki scene chosen to match it.

Publisher: Katôya Iwazô (Seibei) 

Condition: Good color and impression. Vertical fold and tape residue on back as shown.

Dimensions: ôban (35.8 x 24.6 cm)

Date: 1863

Genre: Ukiyo-e

Medium: Woodblock Print