Shamisen and Box
Yabu Chosui
1860s
Medium
Color woodblock print; surimono
Dimensions
24.8 × 8.5 cm (9 3/4 × 3 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
42243
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In this print, Yabu Chosui depicted a black-lacquer box with a furoshiki wrapping cloth and a shamisen leaning against it. The highly burnished black box has the design of a house mark on it, which is playfully hidden by the neck of the shamisen. Chosui frequented the pleasure quarters and created a number of geisha-related prints, and this mark likely represents the name of a geisha establishment.