Yashima Gakutei (1786?-1868) Utagawa Toyohiro (1773-1828)

The first surimono is the upper left panel of a six-panel design, with three panels above and three below. The black border and vertical stripes represent the frame and bars of an imaginary birdcage. The dancers are wearing the costumes required for the performance of the 'Sparrow Dance' (suzume odori), along with the emblem of the Katsushika poetry group who commissioned the set. The lower left panel (not present) has the signature.

For the bottom panels from the set in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, formerly in the Frederick W. Gookin Collection, no. 1939.1146, go to https://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/33284/print