Near perfect condition. There are no stains or holes. The printed lines remain exceptionally sharp, and the colors are vivid and well-preserved. There is very slight creasing that is only noticeable upon close inspection and does not detract from the overall appearance.
This original late Edo-period woodblock print was designed by Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) between 1847 and 1852. Titled First Snow – Monkey Trainer (初雪 猿曳か), it belongs to the celebrated Tamoiro (多望色, "Fashionable Colors") series and was published by Izutsuya.
The composition depicts two elegantly dressed women walking together beneath a large paper umbrella during the season's first snowfall. One carries a lantern while the other holds a large sake bottle, suggesting they are returning from an evening outing. In the background, a traveling monkey trainer (saruhiki) and a young assistant make their way through the snowy street beneath another umbrella, adding a charming glimpse of everyday Edo life.
The Tamoiro series celebrated the changing seasons by pairing fashionable women with scenes drawn from ordinary urban life. Monkey trainers were familiar entertainers who traveled throughout Japan performing with trained monkeys, making them recognizable figures in the streets of nineteenth-century Edo.
Kunisada masterfully contrasts richly patterned winter kimono with the quiet, snow-covered landscape, creating a refined seasonal composition that highlights both the elegance of his figures and the atmosphere of a winter evening. Beyond its artistic beauty, the print also preserves details of Edo-period fashion, street entertainment, and daily life that made Kunisada the most successful ukiyo-e designer of his generation.
A beautiful example of late Edo bijin-ga, combining graceful seasonal imagery with one of the most evocative winter scenes in Kunisada's celebrated Tamoiro series.
