Title : Street Traffic at Nihonbashi

Artist : Torii Kiyonaga

Date : 1786

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Source : Honolulu Museum of Art
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Description : Storehouses line both sides of the riverbanks at the Nihonbashi Bridge, the center of distribution in Edo. As if supporting the town's prosperity, the sacred peak of Mt. Fuji commands the distant view, while before it Edo Castle proudly boasts an imposing appearance. Among the street traffic, a young girl in a green kimono with a straw hat returns from a short trip to visit the shrine at Enoshima (indicated by the inscription on the hat). (Tadashi Kobayashi, Edo Beauties in Ukiyo-e, 1994) * * * * * * * * * Storehouses line both sides of the riverbanks at the Nihonbashi Bridge, the center of distribution in Edo. As if supporting the town's prosperity, the sacred peak of Mt. Fuji commands the distant view, while before it Edo Castle proudly boasts an imposing appearance. Among the street traffic, a young girl in a green kimono with a straw hat returns from a short trip to visit the shrine at Enoshima (indicated by the inscription on the hat). Behind her is a married woman (with short-sleeved kimono) from the rich merchant class dressed in pale blue, with a red brocade obi tied in the front, her head wrapped in a black hood reflecting a popular custom of the time. She is talking to her maid, who wears a white striped purple kimono with a black obi and carries a kite and a bunch of plum blossoms, suggesting New Year’s Day. The right sheet depicts a young lady of a samurai family talking to her maids. She wears a red furisode (long-sleeved kimono) with a black uchikake (outer kimono) over it, and an ageböshi (a type of hat) around her head (a symbol of her status as a military class). One maid is dressed in a brown and yellow striped kimono and a red obi, while the other wears black and yellow stripes. The Nihonbashi area was very crowded and busy during the Edo period. It was like a melting pot, with all kinds of people sporting their various fashions. (from "VOGUE in Japan: Edo Fashion through Japanese prints" exhibition 07/30/08-)

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