MS 7163 Reproduction of portion of Scenes from the Theaters and the Yoshiwara Pleasure Quarters
odd: label: Local Numbers
content: NAA INV 10000029
label: Variant Title
content: Hishikawa Moronobu hitsu engeki no zu

Picture of a scene in a play at the theater, by Hishikawa Moronobu

17th century (original)
name: label: Artist
content: Hishikawa, Moronobu, approximately 1618-approximately 1694
place: label: Place
content: Japan
label: Place
content: East Asia
topic: label: Topic
content: Theater
creator: label: Artist
content: Hishikawa, Moronobu, approximately 1618-approximately 1694
culture: label: Culture
content: Japanese
bioghist: label: Biographical Note
content: Hishikawa Moronobu was as a Japanese artist known for popularizing the ukiyo-e genre of woodblock prints and paintings in the late 17th century. His representative works depict the world of the courtesan and the theater.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Photomechanical print (12 x 17 inches)
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1650
container: label: Container
content: Folder 7163
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: The reproduction was acquired in China by Dr. Rhea Blue in the 1930s. It was donated to the Smithsonian in 1970. It was transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives by Chang-su Houchins in March 1984.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.MS7163
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Graphic Materials
label: Type
content: Photomechanical prints
label: Type
content: Works of art
label: Type
content: Prints
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Transliterations, translations, and other data furnished by Chang-su Houchins, Department of Anthropology. She consulted Richard Lane, Images from the floating world: the Japanese print, Friboug, Sitzerland, 1978, and Laurence P. Roberts, A dictionary of Japanese artists, Tokyo and New York, 1976.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Works of art
label: Genre/Form
content: Prints
originalsloc: label: Existence and Location of Originals
content: The Tokyo National Museum holds the original painting in Scenes from the Theaters and the Yoshiwara Pleasure Quarters (A-59).
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The collection consists of a reproduction of a portion of painting by Moronobu.  The original painting is on a 7-meter-long scroll and depicts various scenes from theaters and the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters is Edo (Tokyo).

The print shows actors on the stage and members of the audience. Some of the latter, as well as the characters depicted by the actors, are named. A cover sheet includes a biographical sketch of the artist.

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.