TSU -- An illustrated scroll recently discovered in Mie Prefecture that depicts a late-Edo period festival, is believed to have been painted by the ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi, according to professor Toshio Fukuhara of Musashino University.

The scroll, which depicts in detail a procession of people at the Sanno Festival in Tokyo toward the end of the Edo period, is a precious piece of art that will probably attract attention as a historical folklore document.

The artwork had been stored in the Mie Prefecture town of Taki, inside a wooden box belonging to Nobuhisa Nishimura, a 57-year-old elementary school vice principal who is a descendant of the prominent 19th century natural historian, Hiroyoshi Nishimura (1816-1889).

Earlier this year, the scroll was displayed at an herbalism exhibition in Taki among other items to mark the 200th anniversary of Hiroyoshi's birth, catching the attention of Michiaki Kodama, an eagle-eyed attendee. Kodama then decided to contact professor Fukuhara about the scroll.

Fukuhara meticulously examined the scroll and stated that the technique used in the drawing on the scroll looks very much like that of the Sanno Festival stored at the National Diet Library, which is believed to be done by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.

He added, "I believe that the Nishimura family that ran a merchant business spent a fortune to have this recorded on a scroll. I hope to find out when it was painted, based on the scenes and people that are depicted."