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The Courtesan Hinatsuru of the Chōji-ya
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Details
- Series
- The House of Flowers
- Associated place
- Date
- 1789 - 1804
- Artist/maker
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Ichirakutei Eisui (active c. 1789 - 1823) (designer)
- Associated people
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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
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mount 55.5 x 40.5 cm (height x width)
print 36.4 x 24.5 cm (height x width)
- Material index
- Technique index
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printed › relief print › woodcut › colour woodcut,
- 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
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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
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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.
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nishiki-e
Nishiki-e literally means 'brocade pictures' and refers to multi-coloured woodblock prints.
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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
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- 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
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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
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.
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