Saltimbanques au Japon: 70 ukiyo-e prints explore street performers in Edo and Meiji Japan

The exhibition 'Saltimbanques au Japon' (Street Performers/Circus Entertainers in Japan) is currently on display at the Musée des Arts Asiatiques in Nice, France. Featuring 70 ukiyo-e prints from the collection of Jeanne-Yvonne and G Edard Borg, it explores the history of traveling entertainers—such as dancers, jugglers, acrobats, and animal trainers—spanning from the Edo period (1603-1868) to the Meiji era (1868-1912). During the Edo period, street performers were restricted to licensed districts like Yoshiwara in Edo (now Tokyo). Following Japan's opening to the West in 1854, Western circuses began to arrive, with notable performances by Richard Risley Carlisle in 1861, Louis Soullier in 1871, and Giuseppe Chiarini in 1886, who was paid $5,000 in gold after performing for Emperor Meiji. The exhibition continues until June 28.