Acrobats and Top-spinners (1857)

The carnivalesque atmosphere of the Ryôgoku streets was enhanced by skilled showmen like the acrobat Sakurazuna Kôichi from Osaka (on the left) and the multi-talented Ryôgoku regular Hayatake Torakichi (on the right). Magicians, sleght-of-hand tricksters, gamblers, and outright con artists also made a living among the misemono.

back to overview