Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797-1858). <em>Dawn Inside the Yoshiwara, No. 38 in One Hundred Views of Edo</em>, 4th month of 1857. Woodblock print, Sheet: 14 1/4 x 9 5/16 in. (36.2 x 23.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.38 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.38_PS20.jpg)

Dawn Inside the Yoshiwara, No. 38 in One Hundred Views of Edo

Artist:Utagawa Hiroshige

Medium: Woodblock print

Geograhical Locations:

Dates:4th month of 1857

Dimensions: Sheet: 14 1/4 x 9 5/16 in. (36.2 x 23.7 cm) Image: 13 1/4 x 9 in. (33.7 x 22.9 cm)

Collections:

Exhibitions:

Accession Number: 30.1478.38

Image: 30.1478.38_PS20.jpg,

Catalogue Description:
Dawn in the Yoshiwara licensed quarter, at Sumicho, the "corner district," which leads out into the central avenue of Nakanocho. On the left is Omon Gate, the one point of entry and departure for visitors to the Yoshiwara. In the center of the street, a lantern still glows and to the left there are four figures, one of whom is the guest, his "cheek-cover hood" (hokammuri-zukin) in place. An attendant to the rear with a lantern stands in front of the guest. The courtesan wears a bright red overgarment and raised black clogs that denote her high rank (she does not face the guest). The cherry trees depicted here were a peculiar Yoshiwara custom. Each year they were transplanted to a raised bed of soil along the main avenue in the Yoshiwara quarter for the duration of their bloom and then removed.

Brooklyn Museum