Introduction

Exhibition Sections

Hishikawa Moronobu
Okumura Masanobu
Suzuki Harunobu
Katsukawa Shunshō
Tsutaya Jūzaburō
Hokusai and His Circle
The Nineteenth Century

Reference

Credits
Exhibition Information
Related Events
Media

The Nineteenth Century: Expanding the Parameters of Ukiyo-e

One amusement in the swelter of late summer was firework displays over the Sumida River in Edo. Premier viewing spots were from the rails of Ryōgoku Bridge or, better still, from pleasure boats hired for the evening.

There are at least two variants of this print. In the version exhibited, the glow of the fireworks is at its peak and, as a result, people on the bridge and in the boats, as well as the houses and trees on the far shore, are less distinct. In the second principal variant, the halo of light in the upper right corner, which surrounds the bursting fireworks and two red title cartouches, has been eliminated. In that variant, because the light has faded, many details of the scene have become more visible.

Photo: © Brooklyn Museum

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