View of Nihonbashi Tori Itchome, #44 in the series One Hundred Views of Edo
Dimensions: image: 13 1/4 x 8 3/4 in. (33.7 x 22.2 cm)
sheet: 13 5/8 x 9 1/16 in. (34.6 x 23 cm)
mount: 18 1/8 x 13 1/2 in. (46 x 34.3 cm)
mat: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Miss Fillette Many
Label Text: A huge, two-tiered parasol shelters a group of Sumiyoshi dancers strolling down a main street of Edo (Tokyo) in the Nihonbashi district. Dancing around a large, stationary parasol was part of an agricultural ritual originating at the Sumiyoshi Shrine near Osaka. By Hiroshige’s time, seasonal minstrels who performed dances at various shrines were called Sumiyoshi dancers.
The tilted circular form repeats in smaller parasols and hats, as far as we can see down the strong diagonal of the street. The diminishing sizes reinforce Hiroshige’s adoption of a Western-style representation of depth and distance.
Object Number: 1960/1.344
Currently not on view
