Main Street of the Yoshiwara on a Starlight Night

Main Street of the Yoshiwara on a Starlight Night

Utagawa Kunisada II

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kunisada II, a pupil of Utagawa Kunisada, placed his signature on the lantern in the foreground. Before his marriage to Kunisada's daughter in 1846, his prints were usually signed Baidō Kunimasa; from then on he used the artist's name Kunisada II, until the death of his father-in-law in 1870, when he began to use the name Toyokuni IV. Two love poems, one by Chokujuen Junma and one by Kiō Enba, are hidden in the night sky.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Main Street of the Yoshiwara on a Starlight NightMain Street of the Yoshiwara on a Starlight NightMain Street of the Yoshiwara on a Starlight NightMain Street of the Yoshiwara on a Starlight NightMain Street of the Yoshiwara on a Starlight Night

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.