Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Night Rain at Masaki

Size: 23.0cm by 35.0cm (9.06 in by 13.78 in) | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [L] ?

Designer: Ando Hiroshige

Era: Mid Showa | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: ¥ 14,000$ 120.00£ 95.75€ 110.00 [Item has been sold]

Description: In this print we see the entrance to another shrine on the banks of the Sumida River - Masaki Inari Shrine. It starts to rain as night falls, and two pedestrians - well-prepared with their umbrellas - stop at the entrance, perhaps considering whether to go in, or paying their respects while exiting. One fascinating little feature of this print is the text on one of the stone structures next to the torii gate. The text, which reads "仙女香 坂本氏", is designed to look like it has been carved into the stone ornament, but what we are actually looking at is an advertisement "snuck into" the print for the most popular o-shiroi (white powder foundation used by geisha, maiko, and kabuki actors) of Hiroshige's day. The name of the product was "Senjokō" (仙女香), and the seller was Sakamotoya Tomoshichi (坂本屋友七, rendered in the print as 坂本氏 (Mr. Sakamoto)). Similar text can be found "hidden" in at least two other Hiroshige prints, one of which can be seen here. A print by Keisai Eisen featuring advertising for the same face powder can be seen here. The name of the powder was featured in many other prints of the time, so keep your eyes peeled!

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