Description
Rare original woodblock print by the artist Utagawa Sadahide (歌川貞秀) depicting a machimusume (町娘), a “town girl”, wearing a kimono decorated with an orizuru (折鶴) paper crane pattern and who, returning from a temple, strolls under the blossoming cherry trees holding an engimono (縁起物) lucky charm made from a sprig of sasa (笹) bamboo and from the silhouette of a miyakodori (都鳥) “bird of the capital”.
The work, dating back to the Koka (弘化) era, was produced by the publisher Yamaguchiya Tobei (山口屋藤兵衛), owner of Kinkodo (錦耕堂), is entitled “Sumida River” (隅田川) and is taken from the series “Comparison of Flowers of the Eastern Capital” (東都花くらべ).
The refined print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging including slight stains and small imperfections on the margins, is in fair condition.
