East Asian Art Portrait of a Courtesan Made in Japan, AsiaEdo Period (1615-1868), After 1802? Hosoda Eishi, called Chōbunsai, Japanese, 1756 - 1829 Ink, colors, and gold on silk; mounted as a hanging scroll Currently not on view 1997-22-1 Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Warren H. Watanabe, 1997 |
LabelThe decorative symbols on the kimono—cranes and turtles—are auspicious emblems for long life, often used at New Year's celebrations. The poem, written by Ota Nampo (1749–1823), reads (translated): "Beside the / Flowering Cherries / Of Naka no cho Not a single / Tree from the / Deep mountain valleys." "Naka no cho" was the main avenue in the pleasure quarters of Edo (present-day Tokyo). The poem implies that no uncultivated country woman would be found among the sophisticated beauties of this area. The textile mount around the painting is from a kimono; its pattern echoes the mountain valley of the poem. |
