Newly acquired Japanese woodblock prints highlight “City of Fires”

Between 1603 and 1868, the city of Edo (present-day Tokyo) was arguably the most fire-prone city in the world, ravaged by over one thousand blazes. It became known as “City of Fires,” while its citizens called the fires “Edo no hana” or “flowers of Edo.” The combination of traditional Japanese houses, city infrastructure, and the indispensable use of fire in lighting, heating, and cooking made the city particularly susceptible. Arson, earthquakes, and the city’s unique prevailing north and south winds also contributed to Edo’s greatest and most devastating fires. Edo relied heavily on its firefighters, who were organized into forty-eight brigades across the city, to combat these catastrophic blazes. Their unique role in Japanese society was captured by the renowned and prolific printmakers in Japan at that time. During the past year the Museum was able to purchase twelve of these extraordinary works, augmenting our already extensive collection of Japanese woodblock prints. These new firefighter prints will be part of a fall 2023 exhibition at WAM. One of the acquired prints, created by Toyohara Kunichika (1835 – 1900), portrays the famous kabuki actor, Kawarazaki Gonjuro I, dressed as a firefighter (left). He wears his firefighter coat inside-out to reveal a classic design of peonies and Chinese lions. (Firefighters turned their coats inside-out to reveal bold and colorful patterns to signify successfully combating a fire.) He carries the matoi (standard) of the ko-brigade. Standards identified each of Edo’s brigades, as well as marked the area of a fire and claimed it to receive the reward. There were also volunteer and privatelycontracted brigades. A rare and unusual print in this acquisition group, also by Kunichika, shows three actors standing in front of a barbershop decorated with an image of a giant shrimp. A traditional symbol of longevity, “shrimp” was also a common name for a barbershop. Barbershops, often no more than shacks set up around bridge piers, were considered a major fire hazard, as an outbreak of fire in one of these shoddy structures had the potential to spread quickly to the bridge itself. To avoid being forcibly removed by the city, barbers volunteered to fight the fires themselves, leading to the formation of bridge brigades. In the center, Gonjuro I is depicted as one of them, wearing an inside-out firefighter coat. Another highlight is a print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839 – 1892) from his highlyregarded series, Thirty-two Aspects of Customs and Manners. It shows a woman waiting expectantly for the return of her husband, whose firefighter’s coat is hanging beside her. Her pose and facial expression convey both her impatience and trepidation as she waits for her husband to come home. While the majority of firefighter prints showcase their bravery and bravado, Yoshitoshi upends that conventional narrative, bringing to the forefront the sacrifices that firefighters and their loved ones made to keep the residents of Edo safe. Firefighters held a distinct position in Japanese society as both heroes and antiheroes. Seen by the urban population as courageous, latter-day samurai who risked their lives to combat and control great fires, they were feared by authorities for their rebellious nature and bravado. They acted as police, gangsters, extortionists, and peacekeepers in the still lawless streets of Edo, making them a phenomenon of the city. One of the most dynamic prints in this acquisition is by Utagawa Yoshiiku (above). It depicts a scene from a kabuki play that shows two actors dressed as firefighters and using a firefighter ladder to fend off attacks by two sumo wrestlers. The play, and in turn, the print, is based on a famous day-long brawl between the mebrigade and sumo wrestlers in 1805 over who “owned” Edo’s streets. Silhouettes of figures fighting on the surrounding buildings show the skirmish has spread as the fire tower in the center stands over the chaos and confusion. An important addition to our Japanese print collection, these twelve works represent a relatively unknown, but fascinating part of Edo history. We can now better understand the context of a number of prints in our collection. I am grateful to Curatorial Consultant of Asian Art, Reiko Machi Shinomiya, for helping me with the research and selection of these truly magnificent acquisitions. —Rachel Parikh, Ph.D., Assistant Curator of Asian and Middle Eastern Art

Utagawa Yoshiiku, Old Story of Withdrawal in the East, 1860, multicolored woodblock print, 2021.11