伝奥村政信画　「けいせいなよせ」回り灯籠を見る遊女と禿|A Courtesan and Her Attendants with a Revolving Shadow Lantern

Okumura Masanobu

ca. 1715–20 · Woodblock print (tan-e); ink and hand applied color on two joined sheets of paper · Asian Art

A courtesan and her two young female attendants enjoy watching a type of revolving shadow lantern (mawari dōrō). A spinning wheel was attached to a stick inserted into the middle to act as the spinner. When a candle was lit and placed inside the lantern, the rising air current caused the wheel to spin, which in turn rotated the inner frame and cast a shadow on the outer layer. The revolving lantern consists of an outer frame onto which a thin layer of paper is attached, and inside is a paper cylinder with cut-out shapes of a procession of a courtesan and her entourage. A candle illuminates the cylinder as it is rotated to create optical illusion that the figures are in motion. Here the lantern projects a parading courtesan (shinzō), child attendants (kamuro), and servants (kasha). Though the print is entitled Keisei nayose (names of courtesans), the libretto is actually a playful song incorporating the names of brothel districts. The print lacks a seal, but the distinctive figure style aligns with that of Okumura Masanobu. The courtesan’s hairstyle indicates that the print was designed in the 1710s or 1720s. This is an example of a tan-e, a type of early print that is hand-colored with an orange-red (tan) pigment as well as yellow, crimson, pale indigo, and green—popular from around 1688 to the 1710s.

Artist

Okumura Masanobu

Date

ca. 1715–20

Medium

Woodblock print (tan-e); ink and hand applied color on two joined sheets of paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Lee E. Dirks, in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary, 2019