Thirty-six Fashionable Restaurants of the Eastern Capital

(Tôto ryûkô san-jû-rokkwaiseki)

1852

This series shows bust portraits of kabuki actors in character with restaurants in the background. The cartouche in the right upper corner is bordered by objects from the play. The number of designs in this series is unknown. It is listed as number 187 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). The prints are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.

Actor: Arashi Kichisaburô III

Restaurant: Mukôjima Restaurant

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Actor: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Yazama Jutaro

Restaurant: Suzaki Restaurant

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Actor: Bandô Hikosaburô IV as Takechi Mitsuhide in the kabuki play ‘Kabuki no haru kokoni Mitsuhide’ performed at the Ichimura Theater in the tenth month of 1852

Restaurant: Ôji Restaurant

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Actor: Iwai Kumesaburô III

Restaurant: Yagenaki Restaurant

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Actor: Bandô Hikosaburô IV

Restaurant: Yushima Restaurant

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Actor: Onoe Kikugorô III as the carpenter Rokusaburô in ‘Mijikayo ukina no chirashigaki’

Restaurant: Yagenori Restaurant

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Actor: actor as Jakuren-hôshi in ‘Komochi Yamanba’

Restaurant: Konpa-ro (Golden Wave) Restaurant in Imado

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Actor:

Restaurant: Mukôjima Restaurant

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Actor: Nakamura Kanemon IV as Miyamoto Musashi in ‘Katakiuchi Nito Eiyuki’

Restaurant: Mukôjima Restaurant

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Actor: Onoe Kikugorô III

Restaurant: Nihonbashi Restaurant overlooking Nihon Bridge

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Actor: Nakamura Kanemon IV as Yaoya Hambei in the kabiki play ‘Shinju Yoi-goshin’

Restaurant: Sanya Restaurant

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Actor: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Shirai Gompachi

Restaurant: Ôdo Terasaki (?)

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Actor: Bandô Shûka I as Umekawa holding a love-letter

Restaurant: Yanagibashi Restaurant in Baisen

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Actor: Nakamura Fukusuke as Higuchi (Jirô) Kanemitsu disguised as the boatman Matsuemon in ‘Hiragana Seisuki’

Restaurant: Ryôgôku Restaurant

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

This is one of several series of prints Kuniyoshi designed consisting of bust portraits with irregularly shaped cartouches in the right upper corner. In each of these series, the cartouche is bordered by small pictures. The table below shows a typical cartouche from each of these series as well as the script within the cartouche that identifies the series. The color of the cartouches is not a reliable guide to identifying the series, as it may vary with successive printings.

		English title: Mirror of the Loyal Courage of the Faithful Retainers Japanese title: Chûshin giyû kagami Description: Bust of an actor as one of the Forty-seven Rônin with a landscape background
		English title: Famous Views of Edo Selected for the Twelve Months Japanese title: Edo meisho mitate jû-ni ka gwatsu no uchi Description: Bust of actor with landscape in upper half of print above a stylized cloud
		English title: Selection for the Twelve Signs Japanese title: Mitate jûnishi no uchi Description: Bust of an actor with a full-length figure of another actor in a landscape as a background
		English title: Set of Views of Fuji from Edo in Iroha Order Japanese title: Nanatsu iroha Tôto Fuji zukushi Description: Actor’s bust with landscape showing Mount Fuji inserter in the left upper corner
		English title: Celebrated Products of Mountains and Seas Japanese title: Sankai medetai zue Description: Bust of beautiful woman with insert of landscape showing provincial industry in left upper corner NOTE: Various scripts were used in this series, but the two kanji shown at left are most consistent
		English title: Thirty-six Fashionable Restaurants of the Eastern Capital Japanese title: Tôto ryûkô san-jû-rokkwaiseki Description: Bust of actor with restaurant in background
		English title: Military Brilliance for the Eight Views Japanese title: Yôbu hakkei Description: Bust of a military hero in a landscape

‘Robinson’ refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its unpublished supplement.

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