Courtesans of the Shin Kanaya, from the series "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 2
1776
Medium
Color woodblock print; double-page illustration cut from a book
Dimensions
21.5 × 29.5 cm (8 7/16 × 11 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
13331
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Japan, Kitao Shigemasa's *Courtesans of the Shinaya* captures the allure of Edo's pleasure quarters. Created in 1776 as a double-page color woodblock print from volume 2 of the series *Mirror of Beautiful Women the Pleasure Quarters (iro bijin awaseata kagami)*, this artwork exemplifies ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" genre that celebrated fleeting pleasures like theater, fashion, and courtesans.emasa, a master of the style, skillfully depicts elegant women from the Shin Kan establishment—likely a teahouse in the Yoshiwara district—poised in l...
About the Artist
Kitao Shigemasa · 1739–1820
Kitao Shigemasa (1739–1820), born in the bustling Nihonbashi district of Edo (modern Tokyo), emerged as a pivotal figure in ukiyo-e woodblock printing during Japan's Edo period. The eldest son of the bookseller Suharaya Mohei—from a lineage of publishers—Shigemasa, originally named Kitabatake Tarōkichi, was immersed in the world of printing from youth. Largely self-taught, he later studied under t...