Title : Akasaka

Artist : Utagawa Hiroshige

Date : April 1855

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Source : Minneapolis Institute of Arts
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Description : 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.

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