Famous Restaurants of the Eastern Capital - Handsome print from a collaborative series by Toyokuni III and Hiroshige, published between 1852 and 1853. Toyokuni III created the large actor portraits in the foreground, with Hiroshige designing the smaller landscape and still-life insets relating to the featured restaurant or its location. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts has many of these images in its collection. These attractive designs are beautifully colored and detailed, making them a great choice for a collector interested in Edo era woodblocks.

Kaneko Restaurant: Ichikawa Danjuro VIII as Sukeroku, 1853 - Terrific scene from the kabuki play "Sukeroku" showing Ichikawa Danjuro VIII in the lead role of Sukeroku, a young street knight who is actually one of the Soga Brothers in disguise. He wears a simple black kimono, one sleeve pushed down to reveal a red under robe, and a gray sash tied around his head. He is armed with a single sword and a shakuhachi flute. The circular inset shows a room in the Kaneko Restaurant in the Shin-Yoshiwara, with a geisha silhouetted against the shoji screen. The landscape inset by Hiroshige features a full moon rising behind a tree. An attractive print with embossing on the cord around the topknot, and burnishing on the black robe.

Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858) and Toyokuni III/Kunisada (1786 - 1864)

Image Size - 14 1/2" x 10" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent detail as shown. A few holes, repaired. Slight toning, soiling, and creasing, a few small stains and wrinkles. Please see photos for details.