Night Rain at Asagaya

Vertical ōhosoban. Dimensions: 15 x 6 ¾ in. (38.10 x 17.15 cm)

Artist’s seal: red tripod incense burner bearing the name ‘Hiroaki’; calligraphic inscription reads ‘Asagaya’ (?)

This vertical ōhosoban depicts a wagon puller during a nighttime rain shower in the Asagaya district of Tokyo. The wagon puller is wearing a straw raincoat (mino 蓑) and a sedge hat (sugegasa 菅笠). He passes a darkened katōmado 火灯窓 or ‘firelight window.’, opens in a new window In the far background the open door of a restaurant can be seen, in which is silhouetted a woman serving sake to a seated patron. Takahashi Shōtei (1871-1945), also known as Hiroaki 弘明, was a prolific artist prominent in the shin-hanga movement. Most of his prints were published by Watanabe Shōzaburō (1885-1962), and Night Rain at Asagaya was likely one of these, although it bears no publisher seals.

Bequest of Sid Zarow