Woodblock printed book; ink and color on paperexpand_more
Gift of Louis W. Hill, Jr.expand_more P.77.39.5.1
A prolific designer of single-sheet prints, Utagawa Toyohiro also produced many books. He provided the illustrations for a number of bestselling novels, as well as the images of several picture books, like this one. For this book, one of a two-volume set, Toyohiro depicted twelve celebrations associated with specific temples or shrines in the city of Edo.
The event depicted here is Shōga-ichi or the Ginger Fair at the Shinmei Shrine, located in the southern part of Edo. In September, the shrine hosts a fair in which townspeople sell their special, locally grown ginger, ginger-flavored candy and the like. Visitors also purchase chigi, tiered cylindrical boxes made at the shrine that were believed to have talismanic powers.
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