Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) | Tsukuda Island (Tsukudajima) | Edo period, 19th century
Lot Closed
July 20, 01:31 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861)
Tsukuda Island (Tsukudajima)
Edo period, 19th century
woodblock print, from the series Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho), signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga (Pictured by Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi), censor's seal kiwame (approved), published by Kagaya Kichiemon (Seiseido), circa 1830–35
Horizontal oban: 25.1 x 37.4 cm., 9⅞ x 14¾ in.
A ferry carrying two passengers passes under the Eitai Bridge on the Sumida River. Tsukuda Island (Tsukuda-jima) is in the distance and the remnants of a watermelon float past the left bridge support. Small paper ships flutter down from the bridge above, thrown to 'feed the hungry spirits' of those who have drowned - a practice observed as part of the Bon odori ('Dance for the Dead') each year 13th - 15th July. See Robert Schaap, Heroes & Ghosts: Japanese Prints by Kuniyoshi 1797-1861, (Amsterdam, 1998), cat. no. 202, p. 184.
Another impression is in the collection of the British Museum. museum number 1906,1220,0.1326, go to:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1906-1220-0-1326