A spring excursion to Mimeguri Shrine at Mukojima

A parade of elegantly dressed beauties passes along an embankment near the Sumida River in the Mukōjima district of Edo. Nearby fields are yellow with rape blossoms and green with vegetation—possibly rice seedlings—so the season must be late spring or summer. In the distance at the left a path leads down from the riverbank toward the gate of Mimeguri Shrine, and at the far right a few people are gathered in the doorway of a local eatery known for its specialty carp cuisine. The river’s opposite shore is lined with a string of famous local sites: from right, Imadō Bridge, spanning the Sanya Canal (entrypoint to the Yoshiwara); the shrine at Matsuchiyama; the pagoda of Sensōji Temple; Azuma Bridge; and the lumberyard beyond it.
Kiyonaga created at least twenty-four triptychs during his career, most between 1786 and 1788, using the format to set his figures within detailed panoramic landscapes. The women in his triptychs model the latest fashions, including the loosely tied obis seen here in several variations.
A second version of the right-hand sheet survives in two impressions, in the Victoria and Albert Museum and Art Institute of Chicago collections. In the variant a maid bends over to collect herbs as her mistress touches her hat brim, and a boy is half hidden behind her.