Ryogoku hanabi (Fireworks at Ryogoku), by Utagawa Hiroshige

An image of Ryogoku hanabi (Fireworks at Ryogoku). Hiroshige, Utagawa (Japanese, 1797-1858). Colour print from woodblocks, with mica (kira). Oban format. Signed: Hiroshige ga. Publisher: Uoei (Uoya Eikichi). Date seal: Horse 8 (8/1858). 1858. No. 98 from the series Meisho Edo hyakkei (One hundred famous views of Edo), in the section for Autumn. Firework displays on Ryôgoku Bridge, the centre of street entertainment, were a regular feature of summer and early autumn evenings, when the Sumida River was open to evening use by pleasure boats and people would indulge in nôkyô or yûsuzumi B ‘taking in the cool of the evening’. In the foreground is one of the large ‘palace-boats’ (yakatabune) that were hired out to parties. Other boats (in descending size) include ‘roof-boats’ (yanebune), water-taxis (chokibune), and the ‘casual wandering’ boats (urourobune) that wandered among the pleasure boats selling refreshments. The viewpoint is from one of the fashionable restaurants at Yanagibashi, just south-east of Ryôgoku, where water-taxis could be hired for the journey to Nihon Embankment. An alternative printing has an aura of light around the star-bursts in the sky.

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Ryogoku hanabi (Fireworks at Ryogoku). Hiroshige, Utagawa (Japanese, 1797-1858). Colour print from woodblocks, with mica (kira). Oban format. Signed: Hiroshige ga. Publisher: Uoei (Uoya Eikichi). Date seal: Horse 8 (8/1858). 1858. No. 98 from the series Meisho Edo hyakkei (One hundred famous views of Edo), in the section for Autumn. Firework displays on Ryôgoku Bridge, the centre of street entertainment, were a regular feature of summer and early autumn evenings, when the Sumida River was open to evening use by pleasure boats and people would indulge in nôkyô or yûsuzumi B ‘taking in the cool of the evening’. In the foreground is one of the large ‘palace-boats’ (yakatabune) that were hired out to parties. Other boats (in descending size) include ‘roof-boats’ (yanebune), water-taxis (chokibune), and the ‘casual wandering’ boats (urourobune) that wandered among the pleasure boats selling refreshments. The viewpoint is from one of the fashionable restaurants at Yanagibashi, just south-east of Ryôgoku, where water-taxis could be hired for the journey to Nihon Embankment. An alternative printing has an aura of light around the star-bursts in the sky.

Image data

Accession Number: P.3572-R
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Photographer name: Image Library; Fitzwilliam Museum
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 705 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.0 (Windows)
Filesize: 969.88kB

Key words

19th Century amusements Autumn boats bridge colour printing Edo Period entertainment evening exterior fire fireworks fireworks display Fitz_PDP Hiroshige Japan Japanese kira mica night night sky nocturnal oban print river boats Ryogoku stars street entertainment Tokyo ukiyo-e Uoya Eikichi Utagawa Hiroshige woodblock woodcut

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025)
            "Ryogoku hanabi (Fireworks at Ryogoku), by Utagawa Hiroshige"
            Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-809491617 Accessed: 2025-05-23 07:48:17

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            {{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-809491617
            |title=Ryogoku hanabi (Fireworks at Ryogoku), by Utagawa Hiroshige
            |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-05-23 07:48:17|publisher=The
            University of Cambridge}}

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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Ryogoku hanabi (Fireworks at Ryogoku), by Utagawa Hiroshige</figcaption>
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