Kogo no Tsubone, from the series "Framed Pictures of Women for the Katsushika Circle (Katsushikaren gakumen fujin awase)"

Art Historical Context

Behold *Kogo no Tsubone*, a captivating color woodblock print by Yashima Gakutei, created around 1822 as part of the series *amed Pictures of Women for Katsushika Circle (atsushikaren gakumen fujin awase)*. Gakutei, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition active in Osaka and Kyoto, specialized in elegant surimono—privately commissioned prints often exchanged among poetry circles like the Katsushika group. This shikishiban format, a compact square of about 8 by 7 inches, mimics a framed painting, evoking intimate beauty and refinement typical of Japan's Edo-period (1603–1868) artistic culture. The p...

About the Artist

Yashima Gakutei · 1786–1868

Yashima Gakutei (c. 1786–1868), born in Osaka as the illegitimate son of a Tokugawa shogunate samurai named Hirata, adopted the name from his mother's subsequent marriage into the Yashima clan. Little is documented about his early years beyond these familial ties, but he pursued artistic training under the esteemed ukiyo-e masters Totoya Hokkei and Katsushika Hokusai, absorbing their precision in ...