Toyohara Chikanobu, 豊原 周延 (1838-1912), album of prints from the 千代田之御表 series, Chiyoda no-on omote, "events outside Chiyoda Palace", Japan, ca. 1897 Ink and polychrome on paper. Series of thirty-two scenes documenting elite life at the end of the shogunate. Signed 楊洲周延, Yōshū Chikanobu. Publisher: Fukuda Hatsojiro. Dated April 6, 1897. Cloth cover with series title on white label. 34.9 x 23.5 cm Chikanobu's 1897 series Chiyoda no on-omote, "Outside Chiyoda Palace", and his 1895-1896 series Chiyoda no Ōoku, "Inside Chiyoda Palace", detail life in and around Edo Castle before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. While the "Chiyoda inside the palace" series focuses on women in the palace's private quarters, "Chiyoda outside the palace" looks at male society, centered on the shogun, inside and outside the castle. The thirty-two prints (including a hexaptych) show the activities in which Chikanobu may have taken part as part of the shogun's retinue. This set, although more authentic due to Chikanobu's personal experiences, is also an artistic representation and focuses on the elitist side of life at the end of the Edo period. The activities in the "Chiyoda outside the palace" series take place in the public areas and gardens of the castle and beyond... All the way to the shogunal mausoleum of Nikkō.