Comment -The street scene is located at the Gate at Toranomon', literally meaning "Tiger's Gate". Toranomon was the name of the southernmost gate of Edo Castle. The gate existed until the 1870's when it was demolished to make way for modern developments.

The above woodblock shows a toppled down blue Edo kite ("Edo-tako", "江戸凧") on the lower right side, with the kiteline entangled and nearly strangling the head of the man in green garment in the center. The Edo kiteline just reaching over the path to the wall of the house on the center left of the woodblock. The big tail ropes of that Edo are still in the air, just in the process of falling down. Another kite is falling onto the head of a man, trying to escape the bump. The red and yellowish tail entangling the man on the left. The five angle kite carries a red Chrysantemum and a diagonal black band, and maybe some kind of crest or coat-of-arms. The picture on the kite resembles a traditional coat-of-arms ("紋章", "Monshō"). These gentle comic scene creates a fun twist on the usual famous views of Edo, offering a humorous and entertaining look at daily life.


Series - The Series "Comical Views of Famous Places in Edo" has about 46 sheets, some of them with a parody of HIROSHIGE's well known woodblocks. Number "29" (above), number "10", and number "44" contain kite scenes. Hirokage was a student of Hiroshige. Around 1860 he produced a series, parodying Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo." These comic views illustrate humorous mishaps and accidents, such as workmen falling off scaffolding and ending up covered in plaster, or a man tripping and upsetting noodles all over the head of his friend. Other images poke fun at traditions, with a badger parading as shogun or kite flying using a daimyo's cap as a weight on the kite string. These comic scenes create a fun twist on the usual famous views of Edo, offering a humorous and entertaining look at daily life.


Artist - see Biography


Signature -  lower left ("Hirokage ga" / "広景画"); censors seal on lower left rim "Goat 10 aratame"


Publisher - Tsujioka-ya Bunsuke (辻岡屋文助), Kinshōdō Publisher's (金松堂) lower left rim


Image Size - 20.3 x 33.3 cm (8 1/2" x 13 1/8") + margins as shown


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