Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) Production date: 1863 (Bunkyu 3) A woman who is in a travel outfit and wears sedge-woven hat rides on an ox is leisurely moving along the Shichiri-ga-hama Beach. The waves are rough and the white sales of the ships are floating on the sea. At the expression of the shore, the section attached to the wave crash, the delicate printing skill using shiny mica reveals a silvery gleam on the shore. This work was published with the event of the Fourteenth Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi’s procession from Tokyo to Kyoto (Shogun’s official visit to Emperor) that took place in 1863 (Bunkyu 3) and these series were known as Joraku Toukaidou. Therefore, samurai or processions is illustrated in every work of the series. Although Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi never actually visited this beach, thus this was illustrated based on artist’s imagination.

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) Production date: 1833 (Tempou 4) The background picture was based on “Picture of Dairi” from volume 1 of the series “Famous Places of the Capital”. Dairi is the residence of the emperor. A large building illustrated on the back of a lady is Shishinden where the ceremony of accession took place and the gate illustrated in front is Shoumei Gate. From jyuni-hitoe, a ceremonial robe worn by court lady that woman wears and hiougi, a formal folding fan made of hinoki cypress that she holds, it is suggested that she is a lady from the imperial court.

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) Production date: 1833 (Tempou 4) The background scenery of this picture used the picture of “Sanjou Bridge” from the first volume of “Views of Famous Places of the Pilgrimage to Ise Shrine” as the reference. Various people, such as a man carries a luggage with a pole, a woman who covers her head with kimono, a man points something as he asked something from a traveler and a peddler carries a luggage on his back are passing on the bridge. The woman illustrated in front is oharame, a woman vender who sold her product by walk in a style of placing the product on her head. Oharame went to the city of Kyoto to sell kuroki (firewood made by cutting green wood and steaming them in a stove) and this theme was chosen as a custom of Kyoto City.

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) Production date: 1833 (Tempou 4) “Beauties with Landscapes of the Toukaidou Highway” Known with the more familiar title of “Toukaidou with Beauties”, this series illustrates the beauties with the customs of the related regions at the foreground and the sceneries of fifty-three stations of the Toukaidou on the background. This series has a special feature that the background sceneries are based on the “Hoeidou Edition of the Toukaidou Highway” series produced by Utagawa Hiroshige. Although the sceneries illustrated from Miya post station to Kyoto (Although Yokkaichi post station is the only exception) are produced based on Kunisada’s original designs.

Utagawa Kunisada(Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ) 1833 Although the background of this picture is borrowed from the work “Kusatsu Junction” from volume 2 of “Famous Places of the Toukaidou Highway”. A monkey is on the top of a signpost that says ‘Toukaidou Highway’ and ‘Nakasendou Kisokaidou Road’ at the point where two routes diverge, and a man wearing a sedge hat is trying to shoo away two barking dogs. The woman in front is in the attire called ‘Katsugi’: wearing a kimono over her head. For the people of Edo, the appearance of ‘Katsugi’ was commonly related to the image of ‘Kamigata’, which suggest nearby destinations such as Kyoto.

Utagawa Kunisada(Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ) 1833 The setting is unidentified, but it appears to be illustrating an inn of a post station. The man sitting at the entrance is a samurai and a porter is just about to unload goods. The woman in the litter must be the wife of the samurai. On the tray served by the maid are three cups of tea. This picture is filled with Kunisada’s detailed work. The woman in the foreground seems to be a Geisha, a woman who provides professional entertainment at banguets. She is carrying an open fan and making the pose of a dance movement.

Utagawa Kunisada(Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ) 1833 The background scenery of this picture is based on the “Minakuchi” from the second volume of “Views of Famous Places of the Pilgrimage to Ise Shrine”. The litter bearers are having a break at the tea house in the left of the picture. Small flags of various colors that are hung in front of the tea house were called maneki (beckoning flag). The woman in the foreground is wearing ornamental hairpins. She is illustrated in a splendid long sleeve kimono suggesting she is from a respectable family.