Japanese Woodblock Pentaptych, originally published 1804, this 1917

SIZE IN INCHES: oban pentaptych, each panel is 10 x 15, overall 50 x 15 inches

COMMENTS: An extremely rare find! A birdseye view into the Ogiya Brothel in the Yoshiwara on New Year's Day, showing the comings and goings of customers, servants, courtesans and geishas.

TOYOHIRO UTAGAWA (1773-1828) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist and painter. He was a member of the Utagawa school and studied under Utagawa Toyoharu, the school's founder. His works include a number of ukiyo-e landscape series, as well as many depictions of the daily activities in the Yoshiwara entertainment quarter; many of his stylistic features paved the way for Hokusai and Hiroshige (the latter a prodigy who studied under Toyohiro, becoming one of the very finest of all landscape artists), as well as producing an important series of ukiyo-e triptychs in collaboration with Toyokuni, and numerous book and e-hon illustrations, which occupied him in his later years.

Fine, no flaws