Katsukawa Shunsen (勝川春好) (artist 1762 – ca 1830)
Kakemono of an oiran in a black uchikake decorated with a dragon in a night sky
ca 1810
7 in x 19.75 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Shunsen ga (春扇画)
Artist's seal: Shun (春) found within a red bag motif
British Museum - a very similar kakemono A subgenre of a subgenre of a subgenre: a kakemono of a high ranking courtesan wearing a black uchikake decorated with a swirling dragon in the sky
There was a time when either publishers or artists or both working together decided that one of the most elegant portrayal of an oiran would show her wearing a black uchikake decorated with a dragon. Scholten Japanese Art noted that numerous artists worked in gener. They said, in reference to an Eisen kakemono: "The proliferation of this subject suggests a fashion for hand-painted uchikake decorated in sumi ink by Kano school artists (which would have been a very expensive indulgence), a decadent display which was likely initiated and embraced by high-ranking courtesans."
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The courtesan's robes are decorated with a large dragon, waves and flaming pearls of wisdom. At the bottom is a blue and white robe with pearls which look like they are being held by three prongs amidst a linear lightning motif. Those prongs represent a dragon's claws. The curatorial files describing a similar kakemono in the British Museum say the it displays a 'storm-dragon' motif.
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John Fiorillo and Peter Ujlaki noted in an article on Shigeharu in Andon that when courtesans wore clothing decorated with a dragon that it was an indication of their high rank.
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If you look closely at the courtesan's lower lip you will notice that it is green. This is because: "At the end of the 18th century, sasabeni [笹紅], an iridescent greenish rouge, applied mainly to the lower lip, became the vogue and continued to the 19th century." Originally, the upper lip and tongue would have been a bright red.
Kakemono-e - 掛物絵 (genre)
beautiful woman picture (bijin-ga - 美人画) (genre)