Yamauba Blackening her Teeth, with Kintarō

ca. 1795

Not on view

Utamaro designed numerous prints featuring Yamauba, a legendary woman who lived in the mountains and raised the rambunctious boy Kintarō, who went on to become a storied warrior. Here, Kintarō clings to Yamauba’s back and sticks out his tongue at his reflection in the mirror she uses to blacken her teeth. This beauty regimen, associated since ancient times with aristocratic women, was widely practiced among Edo-period social classes.

Artwork Details

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Provenance

Exhibition History

喜多川歌麿画　山姥と金太郎
Title: Yamauba Blackening her Teeth, with Kintarō
Artist: Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, ca. 1754–1806)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: ca. 1795
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Oban: 14 3/4 x 9 3/4 in. (37.5 x 24.8 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of John and Lili Bussel, 1996
Object Number: 1996.463
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Japanese
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Night Rain at the Double-Shelf Stand, from the series Eight Parlor Views (Zashiki hakkei), Suzuki Harunobu Japanese, Woodblock print (first edition); ink and colors on paper, medium-sized print (chuban), Japan — Night Rain at the Double-Shelf Stand, from the series Eight Parlor Views (Zashiki hakkei)
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Women Grating Radish for Sashimi, Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese, Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan — Women Grating Radish for Sashimi
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Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), Saotome Ietada Japanese, Iron, lacquer, silk, gilt copper, Japanese — Armor (*Gusoku*)
Armorer Helmet bowl signed Saotome Ietada
Armorer Breastplate inscribed inside, Myōchin Munesuke
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