Untitled

Ippitsusai Bunchō

ca. 1770 · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

Nishikigi and an attendant are captured before an open doorway as they stroll on a hot summer night. Their way is lit by lanterns in a wisteria arbor and by a cage of fireflies. Perhaps owing to the season, Nishikigi is not wearing the brocade costume suggested by her name but a silk kosode with abbreviated decorations of bamboo at the edges of the hem and sleeves. Her tiny arms are visible through the sheer fabric. The trailing ends of her obi, tied high above her waist, echo the curve of her body. The transitory nature of her profession is echoed by the banana-leaf design on the screen inside the room.

Artist

Ippitsusai Bunchō

Date

ca. 1770

Medium

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914