Courtesan from the Myōgaya House

ca. 1712

Not on view

The subject of this print attributed to Torii Kiyomasu is a standing courtesan reading a poem slip. The inscription on the print, Komachi in the Yoshiwara District, refers to the famous Heian poetess, Ono no Komachi, and is thus an acknowledgement of the literary accomplishments of many Yoshiwara courtesans. The unfinished fragment, evoking the hope and the cyclical nature of spring, reads as follows:

Life is full of trouble,
but the plum blossoms by the window . . .

The woman is tiny, but in her voluminous robes with their large-scale decoration of myōga (Japanese ginger), she boldly promotes her house while conveying an ageless grandeur that echoes the sentiment of the poem.

Artwork Details

Title: Courtesan from the Myōgaya House
Artist: Torii Kiyomasu I (Japanese, active 1696–1716)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: ca. 1712
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print (tan-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions: 12 1/4 x 6 in. (31.1 x 15.2 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Rogers Fund, 1949
Object Number: JP3073
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

By Torii Kiyomasu I

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Ichimura Kamezo in the role of Ise no Saburo, Torii Kiyomasu I Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Ichimura Kamezo in the role of Ise no Saburo
Torii Kiyomasu I
ca. 1748

Scene From the Drama "Hatsu-tori Kuruma Genji", Torii Kiyomasu I Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Scene From the Drama "Hatsu-tori Kuruma Genji"
Torii Kiyomasu I
dated 1749

Scene From a Drama, Ichimura Kamezo as Hirano-ya Tokubei, Torii Kiyomasu I Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Scene From a Drama, Ichimura Kamezo as Hirano-ya Tokubei
Torii Kiyomasu I
ca. 1748

Second Ichikawa Danjuro after 1735, Torii Kiyomasu I Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Second Ichikawa Danjuro after 1735
Torii Kiyomasu I
5th month, 1736

Scene from a Drama, Torii Kiyomasu I Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Scene from a Drama
Torii Kiyomasu I
ca. 1750

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