Kidai Shoran (detail) © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art Museum, National Museums in Berlin), former collection of Hans-Joachim and Inge Küster, gift of Manfred Bohms 2002, photography: Tadao Kodaira

30Fight between street vendors

The saying that “Fires and fights are the flowers of Edo” hints at the many fires in Edo and the activities of firemen, as well as the notion that Edoites were short-tempered. Here, a town official has stepped in to mediate, while tobi, who served as both firefighters and keepers of the peace, have gotten caught up in the scuffle while trying to intervene. All the while, a crowd of onlookers has gathered.