Perspective Print (Uki-e) of the Theaters in Sakaichō and Fukiyachō on Opening Night

Utagawa Toyoharu Japanese

Not on view

Like Broadway in New York, the Sakaichō and Fukiyachō quarters were the center of Edo's theater district, which was particularly lively on the night of kaomise, the opening performances of the Kabuki season. Toyoharu’s predecessor, Okumura Masanobu (1686–1764), is credited as the first Japanese artist to create prints using one-point perspective (uki-e) in depicting interior space. Toyoharu, founder of the Utagawa school, was the first to master the device to depict outdoor scenes in ukiyo-e prints and paintings.

Perspective Print (Uki-e) of the Theaters in Sakaichō and Fukiyachō on Opening Night, Utagawa Toyoharu (Japanese, 1735–1814), Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; horizontal ōban, Japan

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