Takigawa of the Ōgiya Brothel: The First Reception Room Appointment of the New Year (Hatsu-uri zashiki no zu: Ōgiya Takigawa), from the series A Comparison of Selected Beauties of the Pleasure Quarters (Seirō bisen awase)
Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese
Not on view
The high-ranking courtesan Takigawa self-consciously adjusts her hair and clothing in preparation for receiving a customer. Her gorgeous garments are of the variety that a contemporary popular writer had in mind when describing high-class courtesans wearing “undergarments of white damask and two robes: an under-robe of scarlet and white kanoko shibori [“fawn spots”] and the outer one of pale . . . silk, dyed and embroidered.” Chōbunsai Eishi adds a dark obi sash that dramatically contrasts with the delicate blue-and-purple robe. The sparkling mica background completes the air of sumptuousness. Eishi’s prints, characterized by elegant, elongated figures and meticulous draftsmanship, evoke his artistic training by Kano-school painters.
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