Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni III (Kunisada) O-ban polychrome print1852 (Kaei 5), Publisher: Iseken (Iseya Kanekichi) This work is part of the series “Actors Assorted in Fifty-three Stations of the Toukaidou”. Right now 140 works of this series are found. The artist Toyokuni III was one of the most popular ukiyo-e artists. The landscape of the post station is illustrated at the background, and a figure in front is a character of kabuki play who has a connection to the post station. In the series, the figures’ portraits are based on the famous kabuki actors of that time. The landscape of Fujisawa Post Station is illustrated at the background of this work. The figure illustrated is Oguri-Hangan, the legendary hero from an old folktale and his grave is in Fujisawa. In this work, a portrait of a popular kabuki actor Bandou Takesaburou is illustrated. Utagawa Kunisada (Utagawa Toyokuni III) Tenmei 6~Genji 1 (1786~1864) Kunisada had a long career started from Bunka 4 (1807) till his death, became the most popular and successful ukiyo-e artist of that time. In the late Edo period, Kunisada’s reputation was far exceeded that of his contemporaries, more highly regarded than even Hokusai or Hiroshige. He was the most productive ukiyo-e artist and produced every genre of ukiyo-e. The pictures of beauties with his characteristic depictions of hunched back and short neck women were the distinctive features of Kunisada’s style and a famous example was the picture of “Fraudulent Murasaki’s Bumpkin Genji”.

Utagawa Sadahide 1863 The procession marching toward Enoshima Island. The front of the procession has almost reached the Island. Stretching out behind Enoshima Island Sagami-wan Bay is visible featuring Mt. Fuji in the distance on the right.

Artist: Utagawa Sadahide Production date: 1863 (Bunkyu 3) The Toukaidou: Fujisawa, Yugyouji Temple In this picture, a party proceeding in front of the Yugyouji Temple is illustrated. Besides the title, the signs “The Direction for Edo” and “Kamakura Road” are indicated. In the wood beside the Yugyouji Temple, the signs ”Oguri Hall” and “The Grave of Ten Heroes of Oguri” based on the legendary tale of “Oguri-Hangan and Princess Terute” are illustrated. Below, at the right, beside the First Torii Gate to Enoshima, the indication of “Enoshima-michi (The Road to Enoshima Island)”is illustrated. As a master of bird’-eye view picture, Sadahide was conscious with the topographical contents of this land. This series 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 it is known as “Gojouraku Toukaidou (Samurai’s procession along the Toukaidou Highway)”. Iemochi’s visit was an unusual event since last time Tokugawa Shogun visited Emperor was 229 years ago when the Third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu visited Emperor. Therefore this event got a huge attention from the people of Edo. This series was very popular that 162 works were produced within this series. Since 16 artists from Utagawa School were involved for the production, it is considered that the publisher wanted to produce many works within a short period of time.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi The production date: 1848-1854 (Kaei era) The main theme of this picture is the women and the Enoshima Island is depicted very small in a distance. The women on the left who are standing and holding the abalones and shrimps are the local women, and the two women who are wearing casual summer kimono called yukata are the tourists. Two naked children are asking money for these women. The woman on the right wears a very distinctive yukata with the pattern of indigo dyed large shrimps at its shoulder and at its skirt.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 1847-52 Using the whole triptych, Enoshima Island is expressed as a mass of rock.Taking a closer look at the picture, like ants against the huge Enoshima, the tiny pilgrims are illustrated at the road on the left side of the island and in front of the Iwaya sea cave. Kuniyoshi was known as a painter who adopted a Western painting method from early on, and in this picture, capturing the whole Enoshima Island as a giant chunk of rock shows the influence of Western painting techniques in his work.

Artist: Totoya Hokkei Production date: 1830-1844 (early Tempou era) No publisher’s seal In this work, two turtles and a river are illustrated in a red frame, and this picture was dedicated to a shrine . Enoshima Island was also known as Kinki-zan (Mt. Kinki), which means mountain of golden turtle. Therefore kindei (a pigment that contains gold) was used to draw the turtles’ shells and the silver pigment is used to draw the flow of the river. It looks like some patterns are floating on the upper part of two sake bottles on a red small stand (sampou: a stand to put offerings), but in fact, they are the threads to knot the housho papers expressed with karazuri (emboss) effect. “Chronicle of a Journey to Enoshima” is a series of surimono that illustrated landscapes and products related to Enoshima Island. Surimono is high quality woodblock prints that include both kyouka poems (Comic verse composed of 31 syllables) and illustrations related to the poems. Since surimono was produced not for sale but made privately by the group of kyouka poets, the artists who produced the illustrations fully expressed their supreme talents and skills such as detailed curving techniques and high skill of the printing technique in a small format. The indications in the several works specify that there were originally 16 works in this series. However, only 14 works, “Takanawa, the starting point”, “Samezu”, “Omori”, “Kamata”, “Rokugou”, “Tsurumi”, “Kanagawa”, “Hamagawa”, “Shimo-no-miya”, “Kami-no-miya”, “Hongu”, “Chigo-ga-buchi”, “Manaita-iwa”, and “Ryudou” are currently discovered. This series was produced for the memory of kyouka poetry circle’s journey to Enoshia Island. The illustrations were produced by Totoya Hokkei and he was a pupil of Katsushika Hokusai. Hokkei was known for his premier talent with surimono, especially related to kyouka, and it is said his skill even surpassed that of Hokusai.

Artist: Totoya Hokkei Production date: 1830-1844 (early Tempou era) No publisher’s seal A man is looking at a view through his telescope from Enoshima Island. The Edo period record indicates that viewing scenery through telescope was a very popular custom during Edo period. As a typical surimono work, the lines of wave crash, surface texture of rocks and the kimono pattern of a man on the right are luxuriously decorated with gindei (a pigment that contains silver). “Chronicle of a Journey to Enoshima” is a series of surimono that illustrated landscapes and products related to Enoshima Island. Surimono is high quality woodblock prints that include both kyouka poems (Comic verse composed of 31 syllables) and illustrations related to the poems. Since surimono was produced not for sale but made privately by the group of kyouka poets, the artists who produced the illustrations fully expressed their supreme talents and skills such as detailed curving techniques and high skill of the printing technique in a small format. The indications in the several works specify that there were originally 16 works in this series. However, only 14 works, “Takanawa, the starting point”, “Samezu”, “Omori”, “Kamata”, “Rokugou”, “Tsurumi”, “Kanagawa”, “Hamagawa”, “Shimo-no-miya”, “Kami-no-miya”, “Hongu”, “Chigo-ga-buchi”, “Manaita-iwa”, and “Ryudou” are currently discovered. This series was produced for the memory of kyouka poetry circle’s journey to Enoshia Island. The illustrations were produced by Totoya Hokkei and he was a pupil of Katsushika Hokusai. Hokkei was known for his premier talent with surimono, especially related to kyouka, and it is said his skill even surpassed that of Hokusai.

Artist: Totoya Hokkei Production date: 1830-1844 (early Tempou era) No publisher’s seal In this scene, land is expressed not through the depiction of famous landscape of Manaita-iwa, or the rock looks like a cutting board, but instead, the land is expressed with the local specialty of Enoshima Island: The abalone and the abalone kasuzuke (the pickles with sake lees seasoning) in a wooden circular box. Between the local products, a Japanese smoking pipe (kiseru) and a red steel to light a fire are illustrated. Detail parts are carefully decorated: The smoking pipe’s metal shank is decorated effectively with a silver pigment and the lines of small sea shells stick to an abalone are expressed with the emboss effect. “Chronicle of a Journey to Enoshima” is a series of surimono that illustrated landscapes and products related to Enoshima Island. Surimono is high quality woodblock prints that include both kyouka poems (Comic verse composed of 31 syllables) and illustrations related to the poems. Since surimono was produced not for sale but made privately by the group of kyouka poets, the artists who produced the illustrations fully expressed their supreme talents and skills such as detailed curving techniques and high skill of the printing technique in a small format. The indications in the several works specify that there were originally 16 works in this series. However, only 14 works, “Takanawa, the starting point”, “Samezu”, “Omori”, “Kamata”, “Rokugou”, “Tsurumi”, “Kanagawa”, “Hamagawa”, “Shimo-no-miya”, “Kami-no-miya”, “Hongu”, “Chigo-ga-buchi”, “Manaita-iwa”, and “Ryudou” are currently discovered. This series was produced for the memory of kyouka poetry circle’s journey to Enoshia Island. The illustrations were produced by Totoya Hokkei and he was a pupil of Katsushika Hokusai. Hokkei was known for his premier talent with surimono, especially related to kyouka, and it is said his skill even surpassed that of Hokusai.