Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) / Toyokuni III (三代豊国) (artist 1786 – 01/12/1865)
The courtesan Nakagawa (中川) of Nakamanjiya (中万字屋内) - Shin Yoshiwara in Kadomachi (新吉原角町)
1830s
9.75 in x 28.75 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Gototei Kunisada ga
五渡亭国貞画
Publisher: Maruya Seijirō
(Marks 299 - seal 27-010)
Censor's seal: kiwame
Google maps - Yoshiwara Shrine - one of the only signs of where this famous district was
Lyon Collection - a Kunisada triptych showing a woman wearing a kimono decorated with a shell game motif on the right
Museum für angewandte Kunst, Vienna This beautiful courtesan is wearing her finest clothing for her regular public outing. Her outer robe is decorated with toys, games and auspicious symbols. A inu hariko (犬張子) or papier mâché dog stares straight as us from an area near her left elbow. The figure next to it is a tachibana or a tall male doll usually paired with a shorter female one. These dolls were commonly displayed during the third month, the flower viewing month. The courtesan's elaborate, layered robes make be a hint at the subtext of this kakemono.
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The significance of the inu hariko (犬張子) on the courtesans robes
The Edo-Tokyo Museum says:
"Inu harkiko, small papier-mache dogs, embody the wish that children will grown up healthy. These toys, made of washi paper in the shape of a dog, were mainly made in Edo. Their inspiration is thought to be stone-carved guardian dogs from the Heian period (794-1185). At the court, such guardian dogs were used in purification rituals to eliminate bodily uncleanliness and prevent disasters. In the Muromachi period (1392-1568), it became customary, in the upper reaches of society, to decorate the room where a birth would take place with papier-mache otogi inu, “attendant dogs.” Also known as inubako (dog cases) and inu hariko (papier-mache dogs), they have the face of an infant and the body of a dog, divided in upper lower parts to create a box-shaped ornament. Displayed in pairs, male and female, these paper sculptures were used to hold cosmetics and talismans, to ward off evil. In the Edo period, inu hariko in the form of a dog standing on its four legs were made in Edo and many other places throughout the country. Since dogs are thought to be animals that give birth easily, theses small dog figurines were regarded as talismans embodying prayers for a baby’s easy, safe delivery and were thus also linked to shrine visits to pray for children’s healthy growth."
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Another motif visible above both the dog and standing man doll are elaborately painted sea shells from the kai awase or shell-matching game, a common form of entertainment among courtesans. One shell is illustrated with a genji-mon.
There is a Kunisada triptych in the Lyon Collection, #345 - see the link above - with a group of three women amusing themselves indoors while viewing a rain storm outside drenching the spring flowers. The woman on the right playing the koto is also wearing a robe decorated with shells from the kai awase game. This comparison with this kakemono may strengthen our belief that Nakagawa is actually celebrating the springtime in her own way.
Her obi appears to be decorated with the fanciful ho-o bird or phoenix seen within roundels. The phoenix is meant to be a symbol of happiness and prosperity. This courtesan, if nothing else, exudes a sense of prosperity through her magnificent clothing.
The kanzashi or hair pins are elaborately carved and may be a motif used by the woman of the Nakamanjiya, her 'green house'. The decorations on those pins is best seen by using the magnifying tool at this site. They may also iterate subtly the theme of flower viewing. Nakagawa's beautiful geta are of the tall type and surely must be covered in black lacquer. She has blackened her teeth, another practice common at that time.
Maruya Seijirō (丸屋清次郎) (publisher)
beautiful woman picture (bijin-ga - 美人画) (genre)
Kakemono-e - 掛物絵 (genre)