A room too wide for one glance

Look first

1. Start at the far left and trace the long horizontal floor lines across the image. Now follow a diagonal railing or stair. Which line carries your eye furthest?
2. Choose one small group of figures. Look at the direction of their faces and bodies, then move to the next group. The crowd becomes easier to read as several local exchanges.
3. Compare the enclosed rooms on the left with the more open spaces toward the right. Notice how posts and screens both divide the scene and connect it.

Put the format in context

The catalogue calls this a pentaptych: a composition in five sheets. Its recorded size, 36.8 × 123.2 cm, explains why the small screen preview compresses so much detail. Open the original image when you want to follow individual figures. The title places the scene at the Ōgiya brothel in Yoshiwara on New Year’s Day; that is a setting, not evidence that every depicted interaction can be identified.

A question for your next visit

On a second look, ignore the people for 30 seconds. Does the building lead you through the scene in the same order?

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