Prints, Drawings, and Photographs

View of the Main Street (Honchō-dōri) in Yokohama and the New Miyozaki Pleasure Quarter

Edo Period (1615-1868), 1860

Utagawa Sadahide, Japanese, c. 1807 - 1873. Published by Yamaguchiya Tōbei, Kinkōdō.

Color woodcut triptych
Ōban tate-e triptych (16--18): 14 1/2 x 30 inches (36.8 x 76.2 cm)

Currently not on view

1950-70-1(16--18)

Label

Here, from a vantage point in the hills behind Yokohama, Sadahide shows the city in its first year as an international port. The walled compounds where the foreigners resided and conducted their businesses are shown at the upper right; the broad main avenue (Honchö-döri) of the Japanese commercial district, filled with people and carts that transported goods, is depicted at left center; and the road that led to Miyozaki, Yokohama's entertainment district, appears at the far right, surrounded by empty fields.

Sadahide was among the most prolific artists who produced Yokohama prints. He was particularly known for panoramic aerial views of the city portrayed with a high degree of geographic accuracy. His most expansive view was designed for the monumental map displayed in a case nearby.