Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Suruga District in the Eastern Capital

Utagawa Hiroshige; Publisher: Tsutaya Kichizō

Date: 1858, 4th month
Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Department: Asian Art
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art

Here, Hiroshige depicted a street scene in Suruga-chø, near Nihonbashi. The building at the corner, as identified on the indigo shop curtains and the wooden board, is the famous Echigoya textile shop. A straw rope (shimenawa) festooned with fern fronds hangs from the building's joist-a traditional New Year's decoration. Two men in green robes are manzai dancers who perform a comical dance-and-song routine. Two women holding guitar-like instruments are torioi singers. Entering from the right is a daikagura troupe whose members perform the auspicious lion dance and a variety of acrobatic feats. With all these street performers strolling around, the streets in Edo on New Year's Day were undoubtedly very lively. Japan, Asia

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