Arts of Asia — Page 71

A Courtesean of the Matsubaya House

Katsukawa Shunsho, mid–late 1770s

Geisha (Geigi), from the series “Three Amusements of Contemporary Beauties" ("Tosei bijin san’yu")

Kitagawa Utamaro, c. 1800

Courtesans of the Nakaomiya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 2

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

Courtesans of the Kadokaneya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 2

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

Messenger with a Letter, from the series "Elegant Five-needled Pine (Furyu goyo no matsu)"

Kitagawa Utamaro, c. 1797/98

Courtesans of the Nakaomiya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 2

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

Courtesans of the Yamashiroya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 2

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

Courtesans of the Echizenya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 2

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

Courtesans of the Kiribishiya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 2

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

Dutch Ships Entering the Port of the Island of Rhodes (Rokosuto minato Oranda fune nyushin no zu)

Utagawa Kunitora, c. 1818/30

The Gate of the New Yoshiwara, frontispiece from the third volume of "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)"

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

Courtesans of the Okaneya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 2

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

Courtesans of the Komatsuya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 2

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

Courtesans of the Maruya, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 2

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

Foreign Words (Ikoku kotoba)

Utagawa Yoshiiku, 1860

Actors Nakamura Sukegorô II as Sasano Sangobei (Left) and Ôtani Hiroji III as Satsuma Gengobei (Right) in “Green Willow Soga of Erotic Design” (“Iro moyô aoyagi Soga”)

Rantokusai Shundô, About 1775

Actors Nakamura Sukegorô II as Sasano Sangobei (Left) and Ôtani Hiroji III as Satsuma Gengobei (Right) in “Green Willow Soga of Erotic Design” (“Iro moyô aoyagi Soga”)

Rantokusai Shundô, About 1775

Four courtesans of various houses, from the book "Mirror of Beautiful Women of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami)," vol. 3

Katsukawa Shunsho, 1776

The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I as Kudo Suketsune in the Play Edo no Fuji Wakayagi Soga, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the First Month, 1789

Rantokusai Shundô, c. 1789

The Actor Yamashita Mangiku I as Kewaizaka no Shosho in the Play Nanakusa Yosooi Soga, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the First Month, 1782

Katsukawa Shunjо̄, c. 1782

The Actor Segawa Kikunojo III as Shinanoya Ohan in the Play Kabuki no Hana Bandai Soga, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the Third Month, 1781

Katsukawa Shunjо̄, c. 1781

The Actor Nakamura Riko I as Lady Manko (Manko Gozen) (?) in the Play Soga Musume Choja (?), Performed at the Nakamura Theater (?) in the First Month, 1784 (?)

Katsukawa Shunjо̄, c. 1784

The Actors Nakamura Nakazo I as Tenjiku Tokubei (?) (right) and Bando Kumajuro as the Shopman Dempachi (?) (left), in the Play Keisei Katabira ga Tsuji (?), Performed at the Ichimura Theater (?) in the Eighth Month, 1783 (?)

Katsukawa Shunjо̄, c. 1783

The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V as Akushichibyoe Kagekiyo (?)

Katsukawa Shunjо̄, c. 1783/84

The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V as Kazusa no Akushichibyoe Kagekiyo in the Play Edo no Hana Mimasu Soga, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the Third Month, 1783

Katsukawa Shunjо̄, c. 1783

The Actors Segawa Kikunojo III as the Courtesan Sumizome (right), and Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Goinosuke Yoshimine (left), in the Play Juni-hitoe Komachi-zakura, Performed at the Kiri Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1784

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1784

Scenes from Acts Seven and Eight of Chushingura

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1788

The Actor Sawamura Sojuro III as Soga no Juro Sukenari in the Play Edo no Hana Mimasu Soga, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the First Month, 1783

Katsukawa Shunjо̄, c. 1783

The Actor Matsumoto Koshiro IV as Sukeroku in the Play Sukeroku Yukari no Edo-zakura, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the Sixth Month, 1782

Katsukawa Shunjо̄, c. 1782

The Actor Segawa Kikunojo III in an Unidentified Role

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1786/87

The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I as Hachiman Taro Yoshiie (?) in the Play Oshu Adachi ga Hara (?), Performed at the Nakamura Theater (?) in the Fourth Month, 1775 (?)

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1775

The Actor Ichikawa Monnosuke II in an Unidentified Role

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1778

The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon IX as a Monkey in the Play Mitsu Ningyo Yayoi no Hinagata, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the Second Month, 1785

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1785

The Actor Otani Hiroemon III as Osada no Zenjo Kagemune in the Play Izu-goyomi Shibai no Ganjitsu (First Performance Day of the Izu Calendar), Performed at the Morita Theater from the First Day of the Eleventh Month, 1772

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1772

Act VII: The Ichiriki Teahouse in the play Chushingura Juichidan Tsuzuki

Katsukawa Shunsho, c. 1786

The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon IX as Araoka Hachiro in the Play Sakimasu ya Ume no Kachidoki, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1778

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1778

The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I as Toyose Saburozaemon Kageaki in the Play Hono Nitta Daimyojin, Performed at the Morita Theater in the Seventh Month, 1777

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1777

The Actor Segawa Kikunojo III as Yamauba in the Play Otokoyama Furisode Genji, Performed at the Kiri Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1785

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1785

The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V as Enya Hangan (?) in the Play Kanadehon Chushin Nagori no Kura (?), Performed at the Nakamura Theater (?) in the Ninth Month, 1780 (?)

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1780

The Actor Ichikawa Yaozo II as Sakura-maru in the Play Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the Seventh Month, 1776

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1776

The Actor Sakata Hangoro II as Hige no Ikyu in the Play Shida Yakata Yotsugi no Hikibune, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the Fifth Month, 1782

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1782

The Actor Ichikawa Yaozo II as Soga no Dozaburo (?) in the Play Kamuri Kotoba Soga no Yukari (?), Performed at the Ichimura Theater (?) in the First Month, 1776 (?)

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1776

The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I in a Shak-kyo Dance in the Play Aioi Jishi, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the Fourth Month, 1784

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1784

The Actor Nakamura Tomijuro I as Taira no Masakado Disguised as Otomo no Kuronushi (?) or Sugawara Micihizane (?) in the Play Shida Yuzuriha Horai Soga (?) or Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami (?), Performed at the Morita Theater (?) in the First or Fifth Month, 1775 (?)

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1775

The Actor Nakamura Nakazo I as Matsuo-maru in the Play Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami, Performed at the Morita Theater in the Third Month, 1780

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1780

The Actor Nakamura Sukegoro II in an Unidentified Role

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1779

The Actor Ichikawa Danjuro V as Kazusa no Akushichibyoe Kagekiyo Disguised as a Blind Court Musician (Kengyo) in the Play Edo Meisho Midori Soga, Performed at the Morita Theater in the Fourth Month, 1779

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1779

The Actor Sakata Hangoro II as the Sumo Wrestler Kujaku Saburo Narihira (?) in the Play Sugata no Hana Yuki no Kuronushi (?), Performed at the Ichimura Theater (?) in the Eleventh Month, 1776 (?)

Katsukawa Shunkо̄, c. 1776