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.

The Matsushigeya Restaurant, 1853 - Great kabuki portrait of Nakamura Utaemon IV as the boatman (sendo) Matsuemon, who is actually the great Genji warrior Higuchi no Jiro Kanemitsu in disguise. He grimaces angrily with tightly closed lips as he looks ahead, carrying an oar across his shoulders. He wears a white kimono shaded with soft blue and gray over a tie-dyed shirt in a bold pattern favored by boatmen, over a black undergarment. A dotted sash is wrapped around his forehead. The inset above shows two beauties enjoying the view from the upper story of the Matsushigeya Restaurant, a flock of geese descending through the evening sky in the distance. A bold, handsome design, nicely detailed with fine embossing in the white kimono.

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

Image Size - 13 5/8" x 9 1/2"

Condition - This print with excellent detail as shown. Some holes, repaired. Some soiling. Please see photos for details.