Enjoying the Evening Cool from the Upper Story at Ryögoku

Catalog note / 解説

Several women make preparations for thee moon-viewing banquet on the second floor of a restaurant located near Ryögoku Bridge. The moon rises in the sky to the east as the teahouse and river boats on the opposite bank are bustling with crowds enjoying the clear moonlit night. (Tadashi Kobayashi, Edo Beauties in Ukiyo-e, 1994) * * * * * * * * * * * * * Kiyonaga was the unrivaled master of feminine portraits during 1780s. He expanded the standard size of the single-sheet brocade print, and also utilized diptychs and triptychs comprising two or three sheets arranged horizontally and integrated thematically into a single composition, as observed here. Against the panoramic riverscape, he depict…