Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

The term "flowers of Edo" (Edo no hana) can refer to the most beautiful and outstanding things in Edo, such as the best actors, beautiful women, famous landscapes, and top artists.

It is also a colloquial expression used to refer to the destructive fires that frequently devastated the city, with the term symbolizing both the grandeur and the ephemeral nature of the urban environment. (Google AI)

The term also applies to the Edo firemen (hikeshi) who were admired for their bravery and enthusiasm in fighting fires, thus being considered a "flower" of Edo themselves.

The series "Edo no hana meishō-e" is dedicated to the Edo Fire Department.

It comprises 70 prints, plus a title print, preface, and mokuroku.

Printed on thick paper in ōban format.

All prints were published by Katoya Seibei.

Most prints are divided into four sections:

The sections with the actor is always designed by Kunisada
The other two sections are always designed by different artists.

At the end of the Edo period, the professional fire department in Edo was divided into a total of 64 brigades. 48 brigades served the area west of the Sumida River and 16 brigades served the area east of the river.

Each brigade served a specific city district; in some cases, the brigades were also divided and responsible for multiple districts.

The 48 western brigades were named after the syllables of the "Iroha" (47 plus "n") and divided into 8 numbered groups.

The groups were numbered from 1 to 10, with the "unlucky" numbers 4 and 7 not used. 

Likewise, "unlucky" characters were avoided in hiragana writing: 百 (hyaku) replaced ひ (hi), 千 (sen) replaced ら (he), 万 (man) replaced ら (ra), and 本 (hon) replaced ん (n).

The eastern brigades were numbered (starting with 11) or had “real” names and were each assigned to one of the three groups: North, South and “Extra”.

In the series, there is at least one print for each western brigade, while only eight prints have been published for the 16 eastern brigades.

It is possible that further prints were planned, but this was discontinued after Kunisada's death.

In 2010 Simon Henry wrote: "Each print highlights the 'finest / most treasured' aspects of an individual Edo district - which is where the title comes into play, The Flowers of Edo. The panels in each of the works are in an arrangement that displays a Title Section [which has the name and Troop number of the local Fire Department in it], a Scene from the District, a Significant Story about the District and a Kabuki Actor portrait that relates to the District in some way [as well as classical songs, poetry, historical accounts and commercial advertisements that are associated with the famous locations too]."
Simon Henry: The Flowers of Edo: Aspects of the Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e Print Series. 2010, ISBN: 978-0-646-52759-8.

Data group 01 - 05 
Data group 06 - 10 
Data group 11 - 15 
matching ptychs 

OVERVIEW

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