Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Beauties of the Four Seasons

A full catalogue of the Ashmolean’s collection of Japanese bijinga (beautiful women) prints by Mitsuko Watanabe (published Oxford, 2005).

Beauties of the Four Seasons by Mitsuko Watanabe

Publications online: 54 objects

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The Courtesan Hinatsuru of the Chōji-ya

  • Literature notes

    Ichirakutei Eisui, who was a pupil of Chōbunsai Eishi, produced a huge number of portraits of beauties, far more than the other pupils of Eishi, and he was influenced by Utamaro.

    This print is a portrait of the courtesan Hinatsuru of the Chōji-ya who is about to write on a scroll which she holds in her left hand. Writing letters to customers was an important part of the duties of the courtesans. Hinatsuru was well-versed in the arts such as poetry, tea ceremony and music and was particularly popular in her time. Customers who wished to see her needed to make an appointment half a year in advance. Her hair-style is particularly impressive and shows many kanzashi (ornamental hairpins) and a hair clip. The colour of her kimono is beautifully embroidered with cherry blossoms.

    Part of her kimono has been re-touched by hand.
  • Details

    Series
    The House of Flowers
    Associated place
    AsiaJapanHonshūKantōTōkyō prefecture Tōkyō (place of creation)
    AsiaJapanHonshūKantōTōkyō prefecture Tōkyō (place of publication)
    Date
    1789 - 1804
    Artist/maker
    Ichirakutei Eisui (active c. 1789 - 1823) (designer)
    Associated people
    Maruya Bun'emon (active c. 1789 - 1834) (publisher)
    Chōji-ya Hinatsuru (active late 18th century - early 19th century) (subject)
    Material and technique
    nishiki-e (multi-block) woodblock print, printed with water-based vegetable pigments; colour on the kimono re-touched by hand
    Dimensions
    mount 55.5 x 40.5 cm (height x width)
    print 36.4 x 24.5 cm (height x width)
    Material index
    Technique index
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Presented by Mrs Allan and Mr and Mrs H. N. Spalding, 1952.
    Accession no.
    EAX.4731
  • Further reading

    Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 24 August-30 November 2005, Beauties of the Four Seasons, Mitsuko Watanabe, ed. (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 2005), no. 26 on p. 56, p. vii, illus. p. 57

Glossary (3)

kimono, nishiki-e, vegetable pigments

  • kimono

    Kimonos, or 'the thing worn' in Japanese, had seasonal designs. The style of kimonos would change four times a year, and winter kimonos would be padded.

  • nishiki-e

    Nishiki-e literally means 'brocade pictures' and refers to multi-coloured woodblock prints.

  • vegetable pigments

    Vegetable pigments were used to create coloured dyes for Japanese prints, paintings, and textiles. These pigments often faded over time due to the chemical reactions they underwent.

Location

    • currently in research collection

Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.

 

Publications online

  • Beauties of the Four Seasons by Mitsuko Watanabe

    Beauties of the Four Seasons

    Ichirakutei Eisui, who was a pupil of Chōbunsai Eishi, produced a huge number of portraits of beauties, far more than the other pupils of Eishi, and he was influenced by Utamaro.

    This print is a portrait of the courtesan Hinatsuru of the Chōji-ya who is about to write on a scroll which she holds in her left hand. Writing letters to customers was an important part of the duties of the courtesans. Hinatsuru was well-versed in the arts such as poetry, tea ceremony and music and was particularly popular in her time. Customers who wished to see her needed to make an appointment half a year in advance. Her hair-style is particularly impressive and shows many kanzashi (ornamental hairpins) and a hair clip. The colour of her kimono is beautifully embroidered with cherry blossoms.

    Part of her kimono has been re-touched by hand.
  • Beauties of the Four Seasons by Mitsuko Watanabe

    Beauties of the Four Seasons

    Ichirakutei Eisui, who was a pupil of Chōbunsai Eishi, produced a huge number of portraits of beauties, far more than the other pupils of Eishi, and he was influenced by Utamaro.

    This print is a portrait of the courtesan Hinatsuru of the Chōji-ya who is about to write on a scroll which she holds in her left hand. Writing letters to customers was an important part of the duties of the courtesans. Hinatsuru was well-versed in the arts such as poetry, tea ceremony and music and was particularly popular in her time. Customers who wished to see her needed to make an appointment half a year in advance. Her hair-style is particularly impressive and shows many kanzashi (ornamental hairpins) and a hair clip. The colour of her kimono is beautifully embroidered with cherry blossoms.

    Part of her kimono has been re-touched by hand.
Notice

Object information may not accurately reflect the actual contents of the original publication, since our online objects contain current information held in our collections database. Click on 'buy this publication' to purchase printed versions of our online publications, where available, or contact the Jameel Study Centre to arrange access to books on our collections that are now out of print.

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