"Octopus from Namerikawa in Etchu Province" C. 1852, from the "Celebrated Products of Mountains and Seas" series (Sankai medetai zue). by the ukiyo-e ('the floating world') artist, Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861)
In the series of prints "Celebrated Products of Mountains and Seas", a beautiful woman (bijin) expresses a desire or feeling. An insert in the left upper corner shows the production of one of Japan’s products associated with a particular location (in this case octopus!). This series is listed as number 117 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). The prints in this series are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban. The feeling being expressed in this print is "ouch' (oo itai)
