How Goldfish Built Edo

Part of Kuniyoshi’s Goldfish · Episode 6

Goldfish guide a small raft along a peaceful river in another of Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s imaginative prints. Their work echoes Edo’s ikadashi, the raft workers who transported timber for a growing city. What role did waterways play in building Japan’s capital, and how did the artist turn hard labour into comedy? Discover the trade history beneath the playful aquatic scene.