“Kyoto Gion Festival and Shijo Kawara (園祭禮四條河原之涼)”, which depicts a night view of Gion Matsuri Festival in Kyoto, is considered to be one of the masterpieces painted by Utagawa Sadahide (歌川貞秀). The painting portrays a large number of people who are enjoying the summer night, drinking tea and watching the performance, while sitting on low wooden benches along the Kamo River (鴨の河原), which is lit with numerous lanterns. In the painting, Shijo-ohasi Bridge (四條大橋) is bustling with crowds and mikoshi, or shrines carried on palanquins, that are heading towards Otabisho (御旅所, a facility that serves as the temporary destination or midway resting point of a ritual procession) from Gion Shrine (祇園社), which is the former name for Yasaka Shrine. In front of the scene, two towering objects are presented: One is naginatahoko (長刀鉾), a long sword intended to ward off evil spirits and prevent plagues, which bears an inscription specifying its craftsman as the renowned swordsmith Sanjo Kokaji Munechika (三條小鍛冶宗近); the other is a crescent-shaped tsukihoko (月鉾), an ornament that symbolizes each hoko (a gigantic wheeled palanquin decorated with spears and swords). The backdrop of this painting displays a panoramic view of mountain peaks including Mt. Hieizan, Mt. Nyoigatake (the main peak of Mt. Higashiyama), and its western peak Mt. Daimonji; Gojo (五條) city to the south; and distant Ohara (大原) village to the north. Specifying the names of temples and areas depicted in it, this is an exuberant, colorful nishiki-e (錦絵, “brocade picture”), a multi-colored woodblock painting, which may also have served as a guide to the landmarks in Kyoto. This early print boasts an excellent composition and color palette, with red lanterns, blue rivers, and lush mountains painted in a pleasing harmony. The bottom part of each painting bears the name of sculptor Koizumi Horikane (小泉彫兼) or simply Horikane, together with the signature seal written “Painted by Gountei Sadahide (五雲亭 貞秀)”. “Fujikei (藤慶)” is the trademark of the publisher Fujiokaya Keijiro (藤岡屋慶次郎), “minikai (未弐改)” means that it received the seal of approval in March 1859. Utagawa Sadahide (歌川貞秀, 1807-1883?) was a ukiyoeshi (浮世繪絵師), or genre painter, who was active from the late Edo shogunate era to the Meiji era as a disciple of Utagawa Kunisada (Utagawa Toyokuni III). He was born in Shimosa Province in 1807, and his real name was Hashimoto Genjiro, while he was also known under the pseudonyms Gountei and Kyokuransai. Besides portraits of actors or bijinga (“paintings of beautiful people”), he is renowned for his detailed nishiki-e, which combined cartographic elements to the bird’s-eye-view paintings of this kind or the so-called “Yokohama Ukiyoe” themed on foreign customs. He left numerous works, yet little is known about his life, including the year of his death. These paintings were compiled in a folded book format, together with “Panoramic View of Ryōgoku Bridge in the Summer (東都兩國橋夏景色)” and “Naniwa Tenma Festival (浪速天滿祭)” that were painted by Utagawa Sadahide around the same period, and its cover carries the title “Painting of Summer Vacation in Three Cities: Kyoto, Osaka, and Edo (三都浪之圖)” written in ink.(en)
Publisher conjectured from publishing agency’s trademark, and publishing year from blockcutter’s mark, 装丁 : 和装, Type: Nishiki-e, 3 consecutive pieces of Nishiki-e, followed by 3 strophes, Titled based on title page, 錦絵3枚続3組をはり込, 書名は書き題簽による, 形式: 錦絵, 出版者は版元商標, 出版年は改印による, Binding: Japanese-style Binding
