Picture Print Shop from "Picture Book: Amusements of Edo" (Ehon Azuma Asobi Ezoshi-dana)
Compiled by Asakusa-an and painted by Katsushika Hokusai 1802 (Kyōwa 2) Tokyo Shiryō Collection 025-25

This picture depicts the storefront of the Tsutaya Koshodo, a picture print shop. At the entrance there is a sign with the name of Tsutaya Juzaburo and advertisements are also arrayed for a book written by Santo Kyoden and collections of Kyoka (comic poems), while nishiki-e are laid in the interior of the store and a samurai warrior in traveling garb is illustrated.


Pictures included in "Picture Book: Amusements of Edo" were originally painted as illustrations in a sumi-e style (Japanese ink painting) for "Amusements of Edo", which was a collection of Kyoka (comic poems) published by Tsutaya Juzaburo in 1799 (Kansei 11). While Katsushika Hokusai, a painter of pictures for this book, is famous as an ukiyo-e (woodblock) artist, he also produced a number of illustrated Kyoka books that were published by Tsutaya. "Picture Book: Amusements of Edo" was produced as a book of color prints that were extracted from the collection of Kyoka.

Print