Perspective Print (Uki-e) of the Theaters in Sakaichō and Fukiyachō on Opening Night

ca. 1780

Not on view

Like Broadway in New York, the Sakaichō and Fukiyachō quarters were the center of Edo's theater district, which was particularly lively on the night of kaomise, the opening performances of the Kabuki season. Toyoharu’s predecessor, Okumura Masanobu (1686–1764), is credited as the first Japanese artist to create prints using one-point perspective (uki-e) in depicting interior space. Toyoharu, founder of the Utagawa school, was the first to master the device to depict outdoor scenes in ukiyo-e prints and paintings.

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川豊春画　「浮絵境町葺屋町顔見世夜芝居之図」
Title: Perspective Print (Uki-e) of the Theaters in Sakaichō and Fukiyachō on Opening Night
Artist: Utagawa Toyoharu (Japanese, 1735–1814)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: ca. 1780
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; horizontal ōban
Dimensions: 10 x 14 3/4 in. (25.4 x 37.5 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1914
Object Number: JP192
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Sakaichō Fukiyachō Kaomise Yoshibai no Zu, Utagawa Toyoharu Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Sakaichō Fukiyachō Kaomise Yoshibai no Zu
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