Kikugawa Eizan 菊川英山

Here a woman carries a tray of sushi accompanied by grated radish and bowls of soy sauce. The sushi we are familiar with today, made with fish and rice seasoned with vinegar, was invented in the Edo period. Before refrigeration, it was essential that fish was consumed quickly, and combining slices of raw fish with vinegared rice both helped preserve it and made for a more filling meal. Stalls selling sushi were popular in harbor towns such as Edo.

This print appears to be the right panel of a triptych (a work in three parts); the two women depicted are clearly waiting upon guests at a party.