Ryōgoku Bridge was built in 1659, the first large bridge over the Sumida River in Edo (Tokyo). Here we see groups of women, samurai warriors (wearing two swords) and families out for a stroll as well as workers and travellers carrying heavy loads.

The water below is full of boats; from small ferries to larger pleasure boats. Some elegantly dressed women have a go at fishing. Another woman climbs on the roof of a boat, this would have been considered daring and sexually explicit at the time.

Purchased, 1961

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From the series Famous Places in Edo.

Here the followers of a daimyō – regional lord – enter the capital city Edo (Tokyo) over Shinbashi Bridge. Four of them carry their master in a palanquin, a special box hung from poles on their shoulders. The Shōgun, Japan’s military dictator, insisted that the country’s 300 or so daimyō spent part of their time in the capital with their followers.

The regional lords had to spend a lot of money to supply their followers for journeys to and from Edo. This, and the fact that they had to leave their families in Edo as hostage for their loyal behaviour, meant that there were few military challenges to the the Shōgun.

Given by Mrs M. Chattock, 1949

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From the series Eight Views of Edo, 1843–47

First-time visitors to Japan’s capital, Edo (Tokyo), would have been amazed by the hustle and bustle of the streets and waterways. Porters of fish and vegetables, samurai warriors and travellers are just some of those in the crowd here.

Purchased, 1949

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Merchants and traders grew trade networks to supply Japan’s large towns and cities.

In the early 19th century, Osaka had over 300,000 inhabitants. Hachikenya was a key dock on the river, from where rice and other commodities were transported to and from the former capital city, Kyoto, about 30 miles away by river.

Purchased, 1949

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Puppet theatre was a very popular entertainment in Japanese cities during the Edo period (1603-1868). Puppeteers, expert chanters and musicians performed together to tell stories to eager audiences. In this image a board for go, a Japanese game of strategy, serves as a stage.

The playwright, Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1725), often described as Japan’s Shakespeare, wrote over one hundred plays, mostly for the puppet theatre. Some were historical stories, others were tragedies based on current affairs such as the The Love Suicides of Sonezaki (1703).

Given by Mrs M. Chattock, 1949

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Circus and acrobatics were popular outdoor entertainments in Japan. Here we see a circus entertainer from Osaka demonstrating stunts on a horse.

The inscriptions say the men have ‘come up from Osaka’, probably to Edo (Tokyo) to perform. ‘Kamo’ in the title may refer to the Kamo river area in the former capital, Kyoto, where many entertainments took place.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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Circus and acrobatics were popular outdoor entertainments in Japan. Here we see a circus entertainer from Osaka demonstrating stunts on a horse.

The inscriptions say the men have ‘come up from Osaka’, probably to Edo (Tokyo) to perform. ‘Kamo’ in the title may refer to the Kamo river area in the former capital, Kyoto, where many entertainments took place.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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From the series Eight Views of Kinryūsan, Asakusa

Two of the women visiting the temple have their kimono sashes tied at the front, which was the custom for prostitutes, originally to make it easier to undress. One sprinkles incense into a large burner.

On the pillar to the right hangs an ema or wooden prayer board, painted with a horse, on which a worshipper could write a request to the temple deity.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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Residents of Japan’s major cities could buy cloth and clothing in large shops that were some of the world’s first department stores.

Here people could step behind blue curtains, marked with the shop’s emblems, onto rush-matted platforms where shop assistants waited to serve them.

Given by Mrs M. Chattock, 1949

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In this image two upper class women are out for a stroll wearing agebōshi or white head-cloths to keep their oiled hair neat and free from dust, whilst their servant shields them from the sun. One carries pouches containing a pipe and tobacco.

The inscription identifies the women as the daughters of a bannerman. Bannermen were officials of the samurai class who worked directly for the Shōgun in Edo (Tokyo); there were about 6,000 of them in the 1700s.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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From the series Famous Places in Edo.

In the spring, crowds flocked to admire flowering cherry trees on riverbanks by Ryōgoku Bridge, whilst in summer there were nightly firework displays.

The boats strung with red lanterns are entertainment barges where customers could enjoy food and live entertainment.

Purchased, 1958

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The Tenjin Festival was a major annual event in Naniwa (now known as Osaka), held in honour of the god of learning. A portable shrine to the god was taken through the streets and onto the river, accompanied by hundreds of boats carrying guests and drummers.

In this image, the riverbanks with their buildings slant inwards towards a central vanishing point, a technique adopted by the artist from western landscape designs.

Purchased, 1949

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From the series Famous Places in the Eastern Capital.

Kinryūzan Temple was an ancient Buddhist site in the Asakusa district of Edo (Tokyo). The Year-end Fair drew thousands of visitors, seen here lining the temple balcony and in the throng of umbrellas on the paths.

Visitors could worship the goddess of mercy, Kannon, and buy seasonal decorations before the start of the New Year. New Year was celebrated in January or February according to the lunar
calendar, until 1873 when the Japanese adopted the Gregorian calendar and took 1 January as the start of the New Year.

Purchased, 1954

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Japanese fairs, even those at temples, could be lively, even bawdy, events. In this comic print, some women are dodging flying parts of a homemade festival model.

The phallic shape may be to encourage fertility or to ward off sexually transmitted diseases. The mask on the ground is a representation of Okame, a mythical woman with plump features who Japanese people believed brought mirth, long life and happiness.

Purchased, 1949

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From the series Famous Places in Edo.

The grounds of Shinmei Shrine were lined with teahouses and other stalls. People could also watch sumo wrestling or play a lottery.

In this winter scene, visitors wear geta or high wooden clogs to walk through the snow.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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Women relax with shallow cups of sake (rice wine), music and books on a teahouse balcony.

Mukojima was an area to the east of Edo (Tokyo), popular with sightseers. There were several famous shrines to visit and in spring the cherry trees blooming along the river were an added attraction.

Given by the Friends of Bristol Art Gallery, 1955

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A maid brings refreshments to women on the terrace of a restaurant. In the kitchen behind, a man prepares food to arrange on the stacked serving trays.

Purchased, 1954

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The women on the left are taking a river trip on the Sumida River in Edo (Tokyo). Customers on pleasure boats such as this could eat freshly prepared meals or enjoy music and other entertainments.

This print is from a five-print group (pentaptych) that gives a wide-angle view of boats on the river.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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Attractive waitresses and shop assistants became well known with customers. Artists designed prints of these young women which acted as souvenirs but also as advertising for their places of work.

Glue was pasted or printed onto the background of this print, then sprinkled with ground mica, a natural mineral, to create a luxury effect.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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From the high terraces surrounding this shrine, visitors could enjoy refreshments and look out over the city of Edo (Tokyo). Red lanterns are still used today outside cheap and cheerful restaurants and teahouses in Japan.

The wooden scaffold in the distance is a fire-tower which local firemen could use to look out for fires. This was vital in a city built mainly of wood. Hiroshige was born into a low-ranking samurai family whose duty was to supervise a local fire brigade. Some scholars think that his experience of climbing fire-towers influenced the way he depicted landscapes.

Purchased, 1949

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From the series Comical Views of Famous Places in Edo.

A man of the samurai class on a night out relieves himself into an alms bowl held up by a beggar. The artist Hirokage specialised in slapstick scenes that people at the time would have found amusing.

Purchased, 1949

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Okita was a waitress in the Naniwaya teahouse, famous for her beauty and good humour. She would have been fifteen years old when this print was made. Utamaro designed many images of her.
Okita’s blue kimono has a design of paulownia flowers, the mon or family crest of the tea-house which was located near the Asakusa Kannon temple in Edo (Tokyo). A poem written in the rectangular box reads from top to bottom:

‘There is no passer-by who does
not feel his feet light,
passing in front of the famous
house called Naniwaya.’

From the series Twelve Bouts of Lovemaking.

Four young courtesans (prostitutes) meet some male clients in a house in the Yoshiwara, the licensed ‘pleasure district’ of Edo (Tokyo). In a reversal of the usual roles, one of the men pours out sake or rice wine for a woman.

The traditional room has tatami or straw matting, sliding doors with paper panes and, top right, a tokonoma or display
niche with a scroll painting and ikebana flower arrangement.

Purchased, 1954

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A group of courtesans (prostitutes) in a brothel display some of their skills. One plays the shamisen, a three-stringed lute, whilst others sit at black lacquer boxes containing utensils for other arts such as tea-making, smoking and calligraphy.

The men at the window could probably never afford to pay for the time of skilled courtesans such as these.

Purchased, 1959

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High-class courtesans (prostitutes), were often highly skilled in areas such as music, dancing and conversation. Behind the courtesan on the right you can see musical instruments: a koto or zither and a three-stringed shamisen. On the left are chess-boards and boxes for writing equipment.

Purchased, 1954

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From the series High-Ranking Courtesans of the East

Hitomachi and Shizuniku were high-ranking courtesans (prostitutes) of the Tsutaya brothel in Edo (Tokyo). Each had a personal crest, shown at the top of the print, and these designs would feature on their kimono or gowns.

Japanese courtesans tied the bows on their obi or sashes at the front whereas other women tied their bows at the back.

From the series Models for Fashion: New Year Designs as Fresh as Young Leaves

Girls started working in brothels as young as six years old, sold or hired by their parents or guardians. They could work their way up through the ranks to become kamuro (maids), then shinzō (apprentice courtesans), all the way to
yobidashi (high-ranking courtesans).

The largest figure, second from left, is Kasugano, a high-ranking prostitute from the Yotsumeya brothel. To her right is her trainee Mitsuura who held the lower rank
of shinzō. The smaller figures each side are her kamuro (young maids).

Purchased, 1954

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From the series Fifth Festival in Seirō

Tagasode was a high-ranking courtesan (prostitute) of the Tamaya brothel in the licensed ‘pleasure district’ in Edo (Tokyo). Part of the skill of a top courtesan was to make her clients believe she loved them, for example by writing them elegant notes and poems.

Purchased, 1954

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A courtesan (prostitute) is using a flame to kill a mosquito that has got into her net, watched by a customer. Courtesans had exhausting daily schedules, working in the afternoons and late into the night.

Apprentices, such as the young girl dozing here, began training in brothels as young as six years of age.

Purchased, 1954

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A woman comes out from under a mosquito net whilst her lover or customer smokes a pipe. Japanese people have made and used mosquito nets for at least 500 years.

The lines of the net would have required two printing blocks with fine and detailed work by the woodblock carver.

Purchased, 1949

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From the series Entertainments of the Niwaka Festival in the Yoshiwara in Full Swing.

Here, two courtesans (prostitutes) and a man are dressed up for the Niwaka Festival, celebrated throughout August in the Yoshiwara ‘pleasure district’ in Edo (Tokyo). Special events such as this attracted extra customers to the district. This meant more income for the owners of the brothels and the tea houses.

Customers paid fees for courtesans (prostitutes) directly to the brothel owners, however the courtesans could make some extra money through tips.

Purchased, 1954

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Ichikawa Monnosuke I (1691-1729) was an actor known for his beauty and powerful voice. Kabuki fans recorded how he developed a specialism in playing adolescent men. He holds a cage for a cicada, a large insect that makes a loud buzzing noise that is a symbol of summer.

This is the earliest print of a kabuki actor in Bristol’s collection. The colours and gold leaf are applied by hand rather than printed on. It is called a urushi-e ‘lacquer print’ because animal glue and black ink were mixed together to make a thick ink resembling lacquer for the black areas.

Purchased, 1963

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There are two ways we can tell that this is an actor from the Matsumoto family: firstly, he wears his mon or family crest on his kimono sleeve, secondly, someone has hand-written his name to the right of his image. There are several kabuki plays in which the main characters are accompanied by hawks, symbols of courage and nobility.

Torii Kiyomitsu I was one of the main artists to develop woodblock prints where different colours were printed rather than hand-coloured. At first printmakers used only red and green with the black outlines. The red was a natural dye made from beni or safflowers and they were called benizuri-e ‘red printed pictures’.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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Iwai Hanshirō IV was the son of a puppeteer. He appeared on stage for the first time when he was six years old. He went on to become one of the most famous actors specialising in women’s roles, but here he plays a man.

In this play, the character of Hisamatsu is an apprentice in a pawnshop. He is in love with Osome, the beautiful daughter of his boss. Osome is about to be married off to someone else but she loves Hisamatsu. The story ends in tragedy as they both end
their lives.

Purchased, 1954

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Nakamura Jūzō II was a popular actor who moved between theatres in Kyoto, Edo (Tokyo) and Osaka. Here he wears two swords and special make-up in a samurai warrior role.

He specialised in male roles, particularly samurai in a rough style of kabuki acting called aragoto popular in Edo. However he was also skilled at playing characters of other classes in a softer style called wagoto developed by actors in Osaka and Kyoto.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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Ichikawa Danjūrō V (1741-1806) was one of the best-loved kabuki actors of all time, skilled at performing many types of roles. Born into an acting dynasty in Edo (Tokyo), he first appeared on stage at the age of four. He acted in numerous plays from the age of 13 until he retired in 1802, aged 61.

Here he plays the part of Sakata Kintoki, a legendary strongman known as ‘golden boy’. The Japanese character on the actor’s cloak reads kin or gold.

The actor on the left, Sawamura Sōjurō III (1753-1801), excelled in male roles, including wise and clever men, such as the character here.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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Here we see the star actor Ichikawa Danjūrō V with his illegitimate son Ebizō whom he adopted at the age of three. Many successful kabuki actors were born or adopted into acting dynasties where they learnt their trade.

Ebizō’s kimono is covered with the Ichikawa family crest consisting of three nested squares that represent wooden rice measures. The image probably dates to when he made his first stage appearance aged 3. When he was 13 his father named him as his successor, Danjūrō VI.

Buddhist temples held special kaichō or ‘opening of the curtain’ exhibitions of religious objects that were not usually on display.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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Ichikawa Komazō III was a star of the kabuki stage for over 60 years. In his twenties he specialised in playing handsome lovers but then moved on to the roles of villains. Theatre fans would recognise him immediately from his distinctively large nose.

This play was based on a real event that took place in 1729. Ten-Ichi-Bō was a wandering priest who said he was the illegitimate son of the Shōgun or military dictator. A magistrate in Edo (Tokyo) examined the case and sentenced Ten-Ichi-Bō to death for lying.

Purchased, 1954

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Here the superstar Ichikawa Danjūrō V plays an angry ghost – Tomomori, a commander of the Heike clan who killed himself after his forces were defeated by the Minamoto clan in a sea battle in 1185.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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The actor Segawa Kikunojō III (1751- 1810) was one of the most famous kabuki stars. The son of a dance master, he specialised in playing onnagata or female roles. His great rival was another female role actor: Iwai Hanshirō IV.

The story of Ōkiku is a tragic tale about a serving girl of the same name who accidentally breaks one of her master’s ten dishes. He is so angry that he throws her down a well to her death. Ōkiku comes back as a ghost, crying about the broken plate. In Japanese legends foxes were often said to transform into women or ghosts.

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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Here we see the star actor Segawa Kikunojō III playing the female role of a courtesan (high class prostitute). His fans loved his stylised gestures and his ability to hold a pose for just the right length of time. They described his performances as “dripping with moisture”, meaning that they were very erotic.

Purchased, 1954

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Ichikawa Masugoro was a student of the great actor Ichikawa Danjūrō V. Pictured on the left, holding a gun, Masugoro plays a character called Kanpei who accidentally shoots his lover’s father.

This popular drama was based on real events but had to be set in ancient times to avoid angering the government of the Shōgun (military dictator).

Purchased with the support of the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, 1963

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This programme announces the plays and actors for the first kabuki performance of the season at the Naka Theatre in Osaka.

Top of the bill was the superstar, Nakamura Utaemon III (known as Shikan) who had returned to Osaka after five years in Edo (Tokyo). The more important the actor, the larger his image and name was printed.

Given by Mrs M. Chattock, 1949

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This programme announces a season with a Sanbasō, a ceremonial dance for fertility and a good harvest, along with a tragic play The woman sacrificed at Imoseyama.

In the upper half, written from top to bottom, are the names of all the actors. The lower half shows a scene from the Sanbasō dance. Kabuki playbills are extremely rare in UK collections.

Given by Mrs M. Chattock, 1949

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Fans of the kabuki theatre took a strong interest in the lives of actors behind the scenes as well as what happened on stage.

This back-stage view at the Morita-za, one of Edo’s three main theatres shows actors of male and female roles back-stage with their attendants, walking about, relaxing
and applying make-up.

Purchased, 1954

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Here we imagine ourselves in a bustling street in the Nichōmachi theatre district in central Edo (Tokyo). The buildings with boxlike structures called yagura on the roofs
are theatres (on the right) and a puppet theatre (on the left).

The yagura showed the theatre had a government licence to present plays. The banners along the street and placards at first floor level on the right advertise the plays and the actors.

Purchased, 1949

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This is the central print from a three-print (triptych) design showing the Saruwaka district in the northern outskirts of Edo (Tokyo).

When the former theatre district in Nichōmachi was destroyed by fire in 1841, the government first tried to ban theatres altogether, then relented and ordered theatres to be re-located to this area.

Purchased, 1949

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From the play Victory song of the Genji.

Many kabuki plays featured a warrior called Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159-89), whose childhood name was Ushiwakamaru (pictured on the right).

A legend said that aged 16 he travelled with a gold-seller, a friend of his late father. They were attacked by thieves, but Ushiwakamaru bravely fought them off, killing the ring-leader Kumasaka Chōsan as well as thirteen accomplices.

Purchased, 1949

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From the play Story of a courtesan and a bridge over a gorge.

The actor on the left wears a small patch of purple cloth on his head. At the time it was the law that all Japanese men shaved their heads; so to look more like women, female role actors wore small cloth patches to cover their stubbly heads. Townswomen started to wear these cloths as fashion accessories in their own right.

The artist Ashiyuki was one of the best known designers for the theatres of Osaka.

Given by Mrs M. Chattock, 1949

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In the play Flower of Kabuki: the eternal Soga.

Segawa Kikunojō III (1751-1810) was one of the best known female role actors of his time. He was a very skilled in dance, an essential part of kabuki theatre. Here he performs a dance as a beautiful young woman, Ohan.

We can identify this actor by the circular crest representing a bunch of tied cotton on his black kimono. This crest has been used by the seven generations of the Segawa Kikunojō line of actors, from 1709 to the present day.

Given by W.G. Gilbert, 1954

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The artist designed this print to be pasted onto a flat paper fan. Inexpensive souvenirs like this were made to be used so very few have survived. The names of the actors and their roles are listed by each.

Given by W.G. Gilbert, 1954.

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A Japanese actor wore this kimono and matching haori coat in a kabuki theatre production. The garments are made of cotton velvet, lavishly embroidered with gold-wrapped thread. Theatre audiences would have appreciated the dazzle of the robes in the stage lights. The hexagonal motifs look like the shapes on the shells of turtles. Japanese people believed that turtles lived for 10,000 years and used turtle-shell patterns to symbolise long life. The robes may have been used for the role of the tortoise in a kabuki dance-drama called The Crane and the Tortoise (Tsuru kame).

Lent by Kimono Kimono, Perry Road, Bristol.

LEEA.0023.01

This set of four prints shows the interior and exterior of the Ichimura theatre, one of the main theatres licensed by the government in Edo (Tokyo). At the top is the stage where a group of actors hold poses whilst, on the left, star actors appear on a walkway called a hanamichi or ‘flower path’.

The audience sit in areas divided by narrow walkways from which staff could serve refreshments. The lower part of the print shows the street outside the theatre with advertisements for the different plays and ‘door entertainers’ on plinths acting out scenes to encourage customers to enter.

The Ichimura theatre operated from 1634 until 1932, during which time it was destroyed by fire over 30 times.

Lent by Kimono Kimono, Perry Road, Bristol