Comment - Scene of three beauties in front of Yushima Tenman-gu Shrine. The right Lady is presenting an Edo kite ("Edo-tako", "江戸凧"), decorated with plum or "ume" blossoms, typical with the shrine, and part of the coat of arms of the Sugawara (Tenjin), esp. to Sugawara no Michizane, the great scholar of the Heian period (794 to 1185). The kite is also carrying a kanji character for "learning", thus underscoreing the deeper importance of the shrine. The lady smiles happily, wearing a blue and white plaid kimono, edged with greenish-brown trim and layers of floral print, just tied with a sweeping obi. Her feet with high black getas are somewhat exposed.
The lady in the center is piggyback carrying a smiling young boy with a formal high hat tied to his head. In his right hand he is carrying a longitudinal flat stick with a phoenix design and kanji characters, his right han holding a toy with wheels. His feet are protruding around the obi of the lady, presumably his mum. She is also carrying an folded umbrella.
The lady on the left panel looks thoughtfully at the scene.

A yellowish cloud-like border separates the figure from the ornate rooftops of the shrine, seen rising above the treetops with with a bokashi shading in the sky.

The Yushima Tenjin Shrine's (todays name) roots trace back to the 5th century when it was created to worship ame-no-tajikarao-no-mikoto kami. Later in 1355, the shrine was rebuilt for Sugawara no Michizane, a deified scholar associated with learning, which remains the tradition here today. The shrine's todays location, nearly adjacent to Tokyo University, Japan's most prestigious one, means that it gets a great many student visitors coming to pray for admission. The shrine is also well known for its blooming plum tree groves, usually blssoming in the end of winter, prior to sakura.

There is a colour variation of this print, maybe due to degraded pigments.

Series - ~


Artist - see Biography


Signature -"Kôchôrô Kunisada ga" ("香蝶楼国貞画") with seal on all panels


Publisher - Fujioka-ya Hikotarō (藤岡屋 彦太郎), Shogendō publisher's (松原堂) on all panels


Image Size - 36.2cm X 25.1cm  (14 1/4" x 9 7/8") + margins as shown for each panel


Condition - triptych; nishiki-e (cloured woodblock); Vertical ôban (ôban tate-e);