歌川五雲亭貞秀画　『神名川横浜新開港圖』|The Newly Opened Port of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture (Kanagawa Yokohama shinkaikōzu)

Utagawa (Gountei) Sadahide

2nd month, 1860 · Triptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper · Asian Art

The port of Yokohama officially opened in July 1859, a year after the Tokugawa shogunate concluded trade agreements with the United States, Russia, the Netherlands, England, and France. The homes in the expatriate community were decorated initially in Japanese style, but residents soon re-created their familiar surroundings. Within a month of the port’s opening there were numerous Japanese businesses in operation, including local merchants and entrepreneurs encouraged by the Japanese government. Sadahide’s print shows the busy Honchō street, with a branch of the Echigoya kimono store, owned by the Mitsui family.

Artist

Utagawa (Gountei) Sadahide

Date

2nd month, 1860

Medium

Triptych of woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005