Minneapolis Institute of Art

Akasaka

Utagawa Kunisada; Utagawa Hiroshige; Publisher: Maruya Kyūshirō; Carver: Yokogawa Takejirō

Date

1855, 4th month

Medium

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Originally performed in China, manzai entertainment in Japan consisted of lively and often comical blessings sung to the accompaniment of the kotsuzumi , or small drum held on the shoulder. Traveling door to door at New Year, manzai dancers were welcomed at house and palace alike, where their exaggerated gestures, lighthearted puns, and felicitous exclamations of Manzai! Manzai! (long life, long life) were a source of great amusement. Here, the connection between Hiroshige's view of Akasaka and Kunisada's depiction of two manzai dancers is linked through the symbolism of the pine tree. Since pine trees live to great age, they became emblematic of longevity. Thus, one of the manzai dancers holds a fan decorated with pine trees. Playing off this idea, Hiroshige pictured Akasaka, renowned for its ancient pines. Asia

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