菱川師宣画　衝立のかげに 遊女と若衆|Courtesan with a Young Man (Wakashu) beside a Screen

Art Historical Context

Step behind the ornate screen in Hishikawa Moronobu *Courtesan with a Young (Wakashu) beside a Screen* (ca. 1679–84), a captivating glimpse into Japan's vibrant "floating world" of the Edo period (1615–1868). Moronobu, a pioneering ukiyo-e master, captures a tender, intimate moment between a glamorous courtesan from the Yoshiwara pleasure district and a stylish wakashu—a fashionable young man with a boy's haircut, often idealized in kabuki theater and urban romance. This woodblock print (sumizuri-e), rendered in bold ink outlines with delicate hand-applied color on paper in the grand horizontal ōban format (10 3/4 × 14 1/2 in.), invites viewers to peek into forbidden pleasures, reflecting the era's booming urban culture amid strict samurai rule. Moronobu's work marks a revolutionary shift in Japanese printmaking: he popularized affordable, single-sheet ukiyo-e, blending dynamic composition with everyday elegance. The sparse color—typically reds and greens—heightens the drama, while intricate patterns on kimonos and the latticed screen showcase his mastery of line and texture. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2020, this print celebrates not just artistic innovation but the cultural allure of Edo's nightlife, where beauty, desire, and transience intertwined. A must-see for anyone exploring Japan's artistic golden age!

About the Artist

Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣 (Japanese) · 1618 –1694

Japanese, 1618–1694