Courtesan of Eguchi
Most famous for his woodblock print designs, the Ukiyo e artist Shunshō created this finely executed painting on the theme of the courtesan of Eguchi, a twelfth century prostitute named Tae who lived in the Eguchi licensed quarters in Osaka. According to legend, one rainy night the itinerant monk poet Saigyō (1118−1190), while on the way back to his temple, stopped at her brothel seeking shelter and their dialogue was seen as commentary on Buddhist metaphysics.
By the Edo period it had become common to create parodic versions of Tae as an incarnation of the bodhisattva Fugen (Sanskrit: Samanthabhadra), who is usually portrayed riding an elephant, his sacred vehicle. By presenting the bodhisattva in the guise of a prostitute, Shunshō demonstrates the Buddhist concept that appearances are unreal and that there is no fundamental difference between sanctity and sinfulness.
By the Edo period it had become common to create parodic versions of Tae as an incarnation of the bodhisattva Fugen (Sanskrit: Samanthabhadra), who is usually portrayed riding an elephant, his sacred vehicle. By presenting the bodhisattva in the guise of a prostitute, Shunshō demonstrates the Buddhist concept that appearances are unreal and that there is no fundamental difference between sanctity and sinfulness.
Artwork Details
- 勝川春章筆 佛母恵選賛 江口の君図
- Title: Courtesan of Eguchi
- Artist: Katsukawa Shunshō 勝川春章 (Japanese, 1726–1792)
- Calligrapher: Butsumo Keisen (Japanese, 1771–1854)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: painting:1770−80; inscription: 1820s–30s
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 14 7/8 × 20 7/16 in. (37.8 × 51.9 cm)
Overall with mounting: 48 1/16 × 25 1/4 in. (122 × 64.1 cm)
Overall with knobs: 48 1/16 × 27 3/8 in. (122.1 × 69.5 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2018
- Object Number: 2018.853.26
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Katsukawa Shunshō 勝川春章
1783–89
Katsukawa Shunshō 勝川春章
Zuga Kankō-kai
1916 (reprint edition)
Katsukawa Shunshō 勝川春章
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1780–81
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