Comment - "Goyu in Mikawa Province" depicts a comic scene from the famous novel "Shank's Mare," which tells of the misadventures of two country travelers along the Tokaido Road. Here "Yaji" and "Kita", the two heroes of the tale, are surprised by what appears to be fire raining down from the sky. One dances about with his hands spread wide in alarm, hopping on one foot as red flames flicker around them, while his companion laughs, a fan tied to his head, hands posed before his face. A strange and amusing illustration from this classic story, with fine shading in the darkening sky.
The inset at top right shows three kites floating in the sky high above a pine tree, including two shaped like a fish (right and left, "fish kite", "Sakana tako",  "魚凧") and another one in the form of a fan with the red sun symbol of Japan on it ("fan kite", "Sensu tako", "扇子凧").


Series - Tokaido Road series pairing images with verses in calligraphy for the different stations. Different artists contributed designs, including Yoshitora, Kyosai, Kunisada II, Seikichi, and others. The large pictures include landscapes, figures from history and legend, and scenes from kabuki plays and folktales. Several prints feature comic illustrations, including the adventures and mishaps of Kita and Yaji, the bumbling travelers from the popular novel "Shank's Mare." Others include travelers in Western attire or distinctly modern Meiji subjects. These imaginative prints are beautifully detailed with attractive color and fine line work, and offer an interesting Meiji era take on the classic Tokaido subject.

Calligraphy and Pictures for the Fifty-three Stations of the Tôkaidô ("Shoga gojûsan eki", "書画五拾三駅") in the red signpost cassette (center right). This print is number 36 in this series. Compare number 28 of the series.


Artist - see Biography


Signature - Takegawa Seikichi (武川清吉)  lower right,  in the grey colour adjacent to the green title cassette


Publisher -  Sawamura-ya Seikichi (沢村屋清吉), Seiei-dō Publisher's (青永堂)


Image Size - 21.9cm X 33.0cm   or  8 5/8" x 13" (+ margins)


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