江戸の庶民の暮らしと文化

Edo Castle was located in what is now the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo. It was first built by Dokan Ohta. After Tenka-bushin (the full-scale urban development of Edo) by Ieyasu Tokugawa, who established the Edo Bakufu (military government), it was renovated and became the largest castle complex in Japanese history.

伝安田雷洲筆

遠景に富士山と江戸城を望む、江戸・日本橋近辺の俯瞰図です。視座は江戸橋付近で、画面の中央に日本橋川が手前に向かって流れています。前景にかけられている日本橋の上は多くの人びとが行き交っていますが、ここは魚市場に近かったことから、様々な魚が運ばれているのが見えます。 【江戸の絵画】

A Festival of Hie Shrine in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo

歌川国孝/画

菱川師宣筆,By Hishikawa Moronobu (died 1694),東京国立博物館,Tokyo National Museum

<p>This work comes from a set of two 6-panelled folding screens. Painted by Hishikawa Moronobu, an ukiyo-e artist from the early Edo period, it depicts a theater used for performances of kabuki, one of Japan's traditional performing arts, though only the right-hand screen is on display today.<br />The entrance of the theater is shown on the right. Signboards on either side of the entrance list the performances, while several men tout for customers. The stage lies beyond the entrance. On it, the entire cast is dancing flamboyantly. The audience is chatting, laughing, and generally having a riotous time as it sits watching from the floor. One child is seated on his mother's lap while another mother is breastfeeding. On both sides of the stage, ladies of high standing watch through bamboo blinds alongside men sitting separately behind folding screens. These are probably the best seats in the house. The facial expressions, gestures, and fashions of the performers and audience are depicted in a vivid, meticulous fashion. The painting skillfully conveys the vibrancy of the theater experience.<br />At 170 centimeters high, the screen is around 20 centimeters larger than usual. This suggests it was made by special commission.</p>