1860 Hiroshige II Ukiyo-e Triptych of Yokohama, Japan

A striking 1860 Hiroshige II ukiyo-e triptych of Yokohama soon after its opening as a port for foreign trade port. This is among the earliest views of the city.

A Closer Look

This view, oriented towards the southeast, displays the port city of Yokohama in its infancy as a global trade center. Rudimentary docks appear to the left, beyond which is the city's foreign quarter. At the center and to the right are the Japanese-occupied neighborhoods. Several features are labeled, including a forest and temple at the right, a theater (芝居) near the center, and a teahouse and ferry at the left in the foreground. In the background is the Miyozaki pleasure quarter (discussed below).

This view is especially fascinating because it depicts Yokohama at the moment of its opening as a port for foreign trade. Although the city owed its existence to treaties signed with foreign powers, evidence of the foreign presence is very subtle, and the view remains essentially Japanese in style and theme. No foreign ships can be seen in the harbor. The clouds, cherry blossoms, and color scheme give the view an ethereal feeling. Most intriguing is the woman in the teahouse holding a telescope, curiously eyeing developments on the opposite shore, perhaps a metaphor for Japan itself.

Miyozaki

Miyozaki was Yokohama's red-light district, modeled on and managed by brothel-owners from Edo's infamous Yoshiwara (in fact, it is labeled here as 'Yoshiwara corridor' 吉原廊). The district had been planned during discussions around the Harris Treaty (also known as the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, 1858) and other similar treaties with foreign powers that opened Yokohama to foreign trade. Located where today's Yokohama Park sits, it was separated from Yokohama proper by a moat and wall and approached by a confined walkway ending at a bridge with a large gate, which was the only way to enter or leave the district. It was foremost among the many curiosities in Yokohama in which consumers of Yokohama-e (橫濱繪) prints were interested. Foreigners were equally curious about Miyozaki, for obvious reasons, though the more genteel among them typically regarded the area with disdain, at least publicly.

The teahouses and brothels in this district catered primarily to foreign (Western and Chinese) clients, in large part to avoid the potential for scandals involving foreigners and Japanese women not engaged in prostitution (as had been done for many years in the Maruyama red light district in Nagasaki). This fit with a trend throughout the Tokugawa to sequester supposedly immoral or harmful influences on society. This trend was heightened in the decades just before Japan was opened to foreign trade. While Yokohama maintained a laissez-faire ethos overall, Miyozaki was possibly the most strictly monitored and managed part of the entire city, as the Tokugawa were anxious to keep foreigners occupied and away from Japanese women not engaged in the sex trade. Certain establishments, especially the famous Gankirō (岩亀樓), aimed at more esteemed and wealthy clients, who could arrange for long-term mistresses, often depicted alongside foreigners in Yokohama-e prints.

As the city grew, the red-light district was relocated several times, beginning in 1867. Frequent fires and further urban sprawl led to further relocations, with its finally (in 1880) being placed in Magane, where it remained, with official sanction, until the Japanese government enacted an anti-prostitution law in 1958.

Yokohama - Japan's Gateway to the Outside World

This work is an early example of Yokohama-e, a ukiyo-e genre depicting foreigners and the cultural interactions between Japan and the outside world. Although Japan had reluctantly signed a 'Treaty of Peace and Amity' with the United States in 1854, opening the door for greater foreign presence and influence, the terms were quite vague. Other foreign powers piled into Japan to sign similar treaties stipulating rights for their nationals to trade and reside in certain ports. The most important of these 'treaty ports' were Nagasaki and Yokohama, the former having been a major port for centuries, the latter much less so.

The foreign powers demanded a port near Edo (Tokyo), understanding that the capital itself was not an option. Yokohama was primarily chosen because the most obvious choice, Kanagawa-juku (神奈川宿), a nearby coastal station on the Tōkaidō, was opposed by the Shogun. Much like Shanghai in China, Yokohama grew rapidly and became the main conduit for the exchange of people, goods, and ideas between Japan and the outside world.

Artists rushed to depict the new visitors, who were regarded with curiosity and revulsion but, in either case, were an object of keen interest throughout Japan. Aside from Western traders, Chinese merchants and workers also resided in Yokohama, establishing an important Chinese community that is still the largest Chinatown in Japan. As the city itself was a product of the treaty port system, Yokohama was quick to embrace foreign technology, and Japan's first major rail line was opened from Yokohama to Edo (by then renamed Tokyo) in 1872. Eventually, Yokohama would grow to swallow up Kanagawa-juku and other nearby towns, becoming the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan.

Publication History and Census

This ukiyo-e triptych was prepared by Utagawa Hiroshige II and published by Daikokuya Kinnosuke in early 1860 (Yokohama had only opened as a foreign trading port the previous June). It should not be confused with Hiroshige III's similarly titled 橫濱海岸通之圖, which appeared a decade later. The present view is not only early but quite scarce, only noted among the institutional holdings of the National Museum of Asian Art (Smithsonian) and the Yokohama City Central Library.