The Kawachiya Restaurant, Yanagi-bashi, Ryōgoku (Ryōgoku Yanagi-bashi, Kawachiya), from the series A Collection of Famous Restaurants of Edo (Edo Kōmei Kaitei Zukushi)

In an upstairs tatami room with a scenic view, guests gather for a shogakai, a painting and calligraphy party. A young attendant holds up a painting of turtles as a man studies it intently. Nearby, another guest unrolls an inscribed painting, and a woman grasps a fan decorated with ink-painted bamboo. Arranged on the red floor covering are pigment dishes, brushes, and a washing basin—signs that the event is underway. A shogakai was a cultured social occasion at which renowned painters and calligraphers created works before an audience, who could then purchase their favorite pieces. The setting for Hiroshige’s scene is the restaurant Kawachiya, overlooking the Sumida River. The establishment also served as a rental venue for elegant gatherings, such as shogakai and storytelling performances.