Utagawa Kuniyoshi Production date:1844-47 In this scene, the death of Nitta Yoshioki, who is also illustrated in “ Kawasaki”, is informed to Yoshioki’s by retainers by Shinozuka Hachirou, who also is a retainer of Yoshioki, at the castle of his hometown. The exaggerated posture of Hachirou, illustrated at the foreground is linked to the movement of puppet of joururi puppet drama.

Utagawa Kunisada(Utagawa ToyokuniⅢ) Production date:1844-47 This looks like a typical picture of beautiful woman since a beautiful fisherwoman fishing a shrimp is largely illustrated at the foreground. However, from the turtle patterns of the kimono that she wears, her combs and towel, this picture cleary illustrates the legend of Urashima Tarou, which has a connection with Kanagawa region.

Author: Ryutei Tanehiko Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) The unfinished kusa-zoushi (light novel with pictures) of Ryutei Tanehiko With the illustrations of Utagawa Kunisada, this series became a best-selling novel of the time, and as a result of the success, this series was published for 14 years during 1829 to 1842. Without a doubt, it became Tanehiko’s representative work. However, since he criticized the government in his work, he was punished. The series ended with 38 volumes (152 books) because of his death. Based on the classical novel “The Tale of Genji” written by Murasaki Shikibu, Tanehiko changed the scene from Heian to Muromachi period. In this story, concealing the true identity, the main character Mitsu’uji, an illegitimate child of the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa travels around the country to avoid the conspiracy of Yamana Souzen who tries to overthrow the Shogun. As a parody of “The Tale of Genji”, while pretending to be a playboy, Mitsu’uji defeats conspirators’ party led by Souzen with a wise strategy. After that, he returns to Kyoto and becomes an advisor of Shogun, lives a glorious life.

Author: Kawatake Mokuami Edited by Yanagiya Umehiko Artist: Utagawa Kunisada II Production date: 1861 (Bunkyu 2) 4th edition, 16 Volumes This kusa-zoushi (illustrated novel) was produced by Yanagiya Umehiko based on a Kabuki play “Aoto-Zoushi Hana no Nishiki-e,” known as “Shiranami Gonin Otoko (Five Notorious Thieves)”. It is known that Kawatake Mokuami wrote this story inspired by Utagawa Kunisada’s (Utagawa Toyokuni III) polychrome ukiyo-e print that illustrated a female dressing man thief. Suggested in the title, this work is composed with the sequence of beautiful scenes as if looking at the moving nishiki-e, or the polychrome glorious pictures. The lines from the story, represented by the famous line “Shiraza-itte Kikaseyashou (If you don’t know me, let me tell you.)”, the seven-five syllables styles of line is one of the highlights of this work.

Published by Hirano-ya Sakichi (the Head Manager of Kantou-kou Allied Inns) and The Organizer of Osaka district of Tuki-mairi-kou and Kantou-kouchu Published: the late Edo period This is a travel guide book that lists up the allied inns of kou (a union formed privately by travelers.). In this book, the allied inns and hotels of the kou union from the Nihonbashi Bridge to Kyoto, along the Toukaidou Highway, Ise Sangu-michi and Yamato Megurijun-michi are indicated. Kantou-kou was a union fromed for the travelers and it was established almost the same year of Naniwa-kou’s establishment in 1804. In order to distribute the safe inns to the members of the union, the union appointed superior inns and hotels along the main highways, asked those inns to join the union, and put the signs of the union on the signboard of the appointed inns. As for the appointed inns, Edo-ya Chugoro and Ebisu-ya Mohachi from Enoshima Island, Tsutaya Matabei from Fujisawa post station, and Hatori-ya Hachizaemon from Yotsuya are indicated in this book.

Utagawa Kunisada(Utagawa Toyokuni Ⅲ) The production date:1837 In this series of the Toukaidou Highway, Kunisada illustrated a standing beauty at the foreground with the landscape of each post station on the background. For the whole series, Kunisada used the same composition of the landscapes of Hiroshige’s Hoeidou version of the Toukaidou Highway series. This picture captured just the same scene, which is few second after Hiroshige’s picture. The group of people who carried a big wood sward and omiki-waku and illustrated on top of the bridge in the Hiroshige’s picture were already walked off from the bridge, and only the two women touting customers are still remained on the bridge.

Utagawa Hiroshige Ⅲ This is the series of work produced by Utagawa Hiroshige III. The landscape of iwaya (sea cave) with the Mt. Fuji on the background was chosen for the scenic place of Sagami province.