23 Utagawa Kunisada 1786 – 1865 Tossing Earthenware Dishes at Asuka Hill

Japan, 8th month of 1864 (Edo period), from the series The Pride of Edo: Thirty-six Scenes (Edo jiman sanjū rokkei)

This beautiful print is an excellent example of a collaborative design by two masters of the late Edo period. The scene originates from the series "The Pride of Edo: Thirty-six Scenes" (Edo jiman sanjū rokkei). The figure of the beauty in the foreground was designed by the famous portraitist Utagawa Kunisada I (signed Kiō Toyokuni hitsu within a toshidama cartouche), while the panoramic landscape background was contributed by Utagawa Hiroshige II. The image captures a popular pastime at Asuka Hill (Asukayama) known as kawarake nage—the throwing of small, unglazed earthenware dishes off a cliff for amusement and to ward off evil spirits. An elegant woman is poised to throw a dish, with a woven basket full of additional plates resting beside her. The print features the mark of the blockcutter (Ōta Komakichi, signed here as Hori Tashichi), the seal of the publisher (Hiranoya Shinzō), and a censor's seal precisely dating the work to the 8th month of 1864.