Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) | Asakusa Ricefields and Torinomachi Festival (Asakusa tanbo Torinomachi mode) | Edo period, 19th century

A view across rice fields towards Mount Fuji, framed by the latticed window of an upstairs room in one of the Yoshiwara's brothels near Asakusa. In the gathering twilight below, a long procession of figures can be seen making their way home from the nearby Washi Daimyojin Shrine, having observed the tori no machi [lit. rooster fair]. Many carry auspicious souvenirs from the celebrations, among them the kumade, a decorative bamboo rake regarded as a charm for prosperous trade.

The cat gazes out from a window embrasure of a courtesan's room. The setting is betrayed by a handful of details: a mouth-rinse bowl and towel resting on the windowsill, and ornamental hairpins tucked into a folded sheet of paper beside a folding screen.

A similar impression of the same print is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 21.9503, go to:

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/237122