Utagawa Yoshitora, "View of Miyozaki District in Yokohama"

This woodblock print by Yoshitora shows a sweeping vista of the brothels in the Miyazaki District in Yokohama, Kanagawa. Undoubtedly Yoshitora would have had to imagine what the district would look like from high above, and he does so with great effect. The work balances architectural detail with expansive landscape elements, while drifting bands of mist and cloud lend the scene a poetic and ethereal quality. The composition is enhanced by a decorative border designed to resemble an unrolling handscroll.

Date: 1864
Size: Oban Triptych
Condition: Light wear edges, otherwise excellent color and condition

Utagawa Yoshitora (1836-1880) was a pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi whose later works focused on documenting the modernization of the Meiji-period and of his woodblock prints of foreigners (or Yokohama-e).