Thirty-six Fashionable Restaurants of the Eastern Capital

(Tôto ryûkô san-jû-rokkwaiseki, 東都流行三十六會席)

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.

Title: Doguya Mukôjima Jinzo (道具屋向島甚三)

Actor: Arashi Kichisaburô III as Jinzo

Restaurant: Dogu-ya Restaurant at Mukôjima Jubei

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Title: Yazama Jûtarô (Suzaki Yazama Jûtarô, 洲嵜矢間重太郎)

Actor: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Yazama Jûtarô (洲嵜矢間重太郎)

Play: A Lecture on Loyalty in Simple Language (Chûkô kanagaki kôshaku)

Restaurant: Suzaki Restaurant

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

NOTE: This play is a variant of the classic kabuki play, Kanadehon chûshingura. The landscape is signed “Yoshitori ga”. I am grateful to Guy Pepermans for providing information about this print.

Title:

Actor: Bandô Hikosaburô IV as Takechi Mitsuhide

Play: Kabuki no haru kokoni Mitsuhide performed at the Ichimura Theater in the 10^th month of 1852

Restaurant: Ôji Restaurant

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Title:

Actor: Iwai Kumesaburô III

Restaurant: Yagenaki Restaurant

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Title: Nanakusa-kan Yushima Chohan no (七草官 湯嶌 丁氾の？)

Actor: Bandô Hikosaburô IV as the ghost of Chohan

Restaurant: Nanakusa no kwan Restaurant at Yushima

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Title:

Actor: Onoe Kikugorô III as the carpenter Rokusaburô

Play: Mijikayo ukina no chirashigaki

Restaurant: Yagenori Restaurant

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Title:

Actor: Actor as Jakuren-hôshi

Play: Komochi Yamanba

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

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Title: Mukôjima Sobai Shukuchoku-no-suke (向島葱賣宿直之介)

Actor: Actor as ...nosuke

Restaurant: Sobai Restaurant at Mukôjima

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Title:

Actor: Nakamura Kanemon IV as Miyamoto Musashi

Play: Katakiuchi Nito Eiyuki

Restaurant: Mukôjima Restaurant

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Title: Old man Kasahara at Nihonbashi (Nihonbashi Kasahara-ô, 日本橋笠原翁)

Actor: Posthumous portrait of Onoe Kikugorô III (1784-1849) as Kasahara Zuiôken (Old Man Kasahara)

Restaurant: Okina-an, meaning “cottage of the old man”, on a sign board not visible in this photograph

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Title: Sanya Yaoya Hanbei (山谷八百屋半兵衛)

Actor: Nakamura Kanemon IV as Yaoya Hambei

Play: Shinju Yoi-goshin

Restaurant: Sanya Restaurant

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Title: Shirai Gonpachi (大？の白井権八)

Actor: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Shirai Gompachi

Restaurant: Ôdo Terasaki (or Ooto-kichi)

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Title:

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

Restaurant: Yanagibashi Restaurant in Baisen

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Information courtesy of Guy Pepermans

Title: Aoyanagi Ryogoku Haru-no-suke (青柳両国春之助)

Actor: Nakamura Fukusuke as Higuchi (Jirô) Kanemitsu disguised as the boatman Matsuemon

Play: Hiragana Seisuki

Restaurant: Aoyanagi Restaurant at Ryôgôku

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

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