Uncanny Papercrafts at Oumayagashi in Asakusa (Asakusa Oumayagashi ni te, fushigi no yôsei kamizaiku); A Dance with Hand Gestures for Women and Children, the Talk of This Country and Others (Naiikoku no hanashi onnako teodori)

Utagawa Yoshifuji (Japanese, 1828–1889)

Sawamuraya Seikichi (Japanese)

1869 (Meiji 2), 4th month

Medium/TechniqueWoodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

DimensionsVertical ôban diptych; 35.7 × 52.6 cm (14 1/16 × 20 11/16 in.)

Credit LineWilliam Sturgis Bigelow Collection

Accession number11.37344a-b

On View

Not on view

ClassificationsPrints

Collections

Inscriptions浅草おうまやがしにてふしぎの様成紙ざいく内異国の語女子手おどり　（チヤ／＼チャン／＼／＼／＼）ぞんねからあるにおふぺんで（テンチヤン）ゑるすてだふがおッぷげこむといすわいな（チヤ／＼ンチヤン／＼／＼）わねへるれんでのこおめんおふすとうゐんどもほふふどすたッとにぎおるでんいすわいな（チヤチヤン／＼／＼／＼）おふすとすたッとべおんでれきにふろれへき（チヤチヤン／＼／＼）

ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850–d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 19, 2005)

NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.