“A Courtesan as the Immortal Tieguai [Tekkai]”

This rare hand-colored print is from a series of twelve showing parodies of courtesans in settings and poses that call to mind stories from ancient Chinese lore—popular subjects that often featured in Kano school ink paintings. Here a courtesan is presented as Tekkai (Chinese: [Li] Tieguai), one of the Eight Immortals that originate in Chinese Daoist lore, who was reputed to be able to leave his own body for extended periods. The courtesan, dressed in robes with pine tree and wave motifs, is shown magically exhaling her spirit in the manner ascribed to Tekkai. A dreamlike apparition of herself as courtesan parading alone in Nakanochō holding a folded love-letter appears in the distance, against the background of a two-panel screen with a picture of a stream and rocks. The real courtesan is temporarily distracted as she and her tipsy patron together fumble with a sake ewer while she uses its red lacquer lid to block his view. A red lacquer sake cup has tumbled to the ground near a cup stand. Behind them is a smoking set with a pair of long tobacco pipes (kiseru).