Kiso no Oroku Combs

Catalog note / 解説

This 'uchiwa-e' (rigid fan print) design by Hiroshige is from a series depicting legendary artisans. Ryukatei Tanekazu provided the text. The craftswoman shown here is Roku. She is the girl credited with starting the comb-making industry in the mountainous Kiso region of southern Nagano Prefecture. Combs made in the area were named after her. The text explains how Roku was deeply loyal to her poverty-stricken parents. She prayed regularly for their lot to improve. One night the god of Suwa visited her in a dream and told her to find a particular kind of wood from which to fashion combs. The combs she made proved so popular that her family became rich and prosperous. The text on the shop sig…