Toyokuni I: Two Courtesan Holding Hands in Front of a Publisher's Shop

Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I 豊国 (1769-1825) Title: Two Courtesan Holding Hands in Front of a Publisher's Shop Date: ca. 1790s Two courtesans hold hands as they stroll  in front of the shop of the Publisher Izumi-ya Ichibei (as the large hanging lantern on the left indicates 泉市.) The lantern reads in large letters: mon ten-oo？門天王, while the smaller script reads: Shiba Shinmei-mae Izumi-Ichi芝神明前　泉市. Behind them is a small boy carrying a furoshiki-wrapped package on his shoulder and  a branch of lucky charms. The group must be returning from a visit to Shiba Shinmei Shrine, which was very popular as Ise Shrine in Edo. It  was located between Edo town and Shinagawa Station on the Tokaido, therefore travelers frequented it for praying  before and after their trips. It was also a busy area, because many shops  lined the entry on both sides of street in the Shrine property.  The shop of Izumi-ya Ichibei I (with his artist name Izumi-Ichi ) moved in this area in the 1780s and served as an offici