Revelers Returned from the Tori no Machi Festival at Asakusa, from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Utagawa Hiroshige

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The inscription on this print tells us that the scene is located in Asakusa Tammbo, a famous gay quarter located in the eastern part of Edo. One can therefore surmise that this is one of the geisha houses for which Asakusa Tammbo was known. Perhaps the hostess and her guest are on the other side of he folding screen, which stands on the left side of the composition. Since the ceramic bowl and towel appear to have been set out for morning washing and brushing teeth, the guest must have spent the night here.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art