Courtesans of Tsuruya, from the book "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
22.6 × 30.2 cm (8 7/8 × 11 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
32249
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan *Courtesans of Tsur*, a captivating double-page color woodblock print by Kitao Shigemasa created in 1776 Extracted from volume 2 of the illustrated book *Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (iro bijin awaseata kagami)*, this 22.6 × 30.2 cm artwork exemplifies ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world genre that celebrated fleeting pleasures like theater, fashion, and romance. Shigemasa, a master of bijin-ga (images of beautiful women), skillfully captures the elegance of high-ranking courtesans from Tsuruya, a house in Tokyo's ...
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...