Cooling Off at Ryogoku in Edo 1615 - 1868

"Cooling Off at Ryogoku in Edo" is a triptych woodblock print created by the renowned Japanese artist Kikugawa Eizan, depicting the vibrant nightlife of Edo (present-day Tokyo). The print captures a bustling scene of numerous pleasure boats, crowded with elegantly dressed women and men, navigating the Sumida River, passing under the Ryogoku Bridge. This nighttime scene, filled with the vibrant energy of Edo's social life, is characteristic of ukiyo-e, a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th to the 19th centuries, focusing on everyday life and popular culture.