307 - Utagawa Kunisada/Toyokuni III (1786–1864)

Utagawa Kunisada/Toyokuni III (1786–1864) Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (a series created jointly by Hiroshige, Kunisada, and Kuniyoshi) Station No. 25: Kakegawa Young Woman Fishing for Lobster A young woman is seated in a small boat. With a graceful, focused gesture, she holds a light piece of fabric between her teeth while grasping a freshly caught lobster (ise-ebi) at the end of her fishing line. Her elaborate hairstyle and her blue kimono, adorned with patterns of foaming waves, subtly evoke the maritime theme. The upper cartouche is presented in a highly original manner as a court mirror mounted on a black lacquer stand; decorated with a gold-speckled background and floral motifs on the left, while the pink section on the right contains the poetic and historical text linking the town of Kakegawa to its local maritime tales. Woodblock print Signed: “Oju Toyokuni ga” on the left side of the print Period: Edo (1845/46 (Koka 2–3) Seal: round nanushi Publisher: Yenshuya Matabei Format: Oban tate-e Fresh colors. Missing sections and binding holes in the right margin. Left margin trimmed. Slight soiling.