Naniwaya Okita and Takashima Ohisa playing a game of ken
c. 1793/94
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban yoko-e
Dimensions
26.1 × 38 cm (10 1/4 × 14 15/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
86941
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1603–1868), Chôbunsai Eishi's *Naniwaya Okita and Tak Ohisa playing a game ken* (c. 1793/94) captures a playful moment between two elegant women engaged in "ken," a popular hand game akin to rock-paper-scissors. Eishi, a master of ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world" genre—specialized in bijin-ga, refined depictions of beautiful women from the Yoshiwara pleasure district. This scene reflects the leisure and grace of courtesans, offering a glimpse into urban Japan's fascination with beauty, wit, and everyday diversions. Printed as an oban yoko-...
About the Artist
Chôbunsai Eishi · 1756–1829
Chôbunsai Eishi, born Hosoda Tokitomi in 1756 to a prosperous samurai family of the Fujiwara clan in Edo, inherited a substantial stipend of 500 koku of rice annually. His grandfather had served as the shogunate's Treasury Minister, and upon his father Hosoda Tokiyuki's death in 1772, Eishi became family head while holding a position in Shogun Tokugawa Ieharu's palace from 1781. Unusually for a uk...