The Courtesan Yugiri and Her Lover Fujiya Izaemon, from the series "Tokiwazu Hakkei"
mid–1780s
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
26 × 19.4 cm (10 1/4 × 7 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
35157
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Edo Japan (modern-day Tokyo), Katsukawa Shun captures a tender moment of forbidden romance in *The Courtesan Yiri and Her Lover Fuj Izaemon*, from series *Tokiwazu Hakkei* (c. mid-1780s). This color woodblock print, auban format measuring just 26 × 19.4 cm, draws from popular kabuki theater and storytelling traditions like tokiwazu, a narrative singing style. Shunsho, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") genre, depicts the tragic lovers from the famed tale *Yūgiri Awa no Naruto*: the glamorous courtesan Yugiri and her devoted client Fu...