Evening Rain on the Nihon Embankment (Nihon zutsumi no yau), from the series Eight Fashionable Views of Edo (Furyu Edo hakkei)
1766
Visitors to the Yoshiwara, Edo's government-licensed pleasure quarters, arrived there by traveling the Nihon Embankment. In Harunobu's print, rain may have scared away most of the scurrying throng, but several figures still brave the elements for an evening of pleasure. In the warmly lit interior, a child attendant points outside excitedly, perhaps alerting the courtesan that her client is approaching.
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Framed: 10 5/8 x 7 1/4 in.
Gift of Mary and Allan Kollar, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
2013.31.2
Provenance: [Peter Gilder, Arts and Designs of Japan, San Francisco, California]; purchased from gallery by Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington, 1990; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2013
Photo: Susan Cole