痛そう:寛政年間女郎の風俗 Ita sō: Kansei nenkan jorō no fūzoku (Looking in Pain: The Appearance of a Kansei-era Prostitute), 和田彫勇 Wada Hori Yu; 綱島亀吉 Tsunashima Kamekichi; 月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Artwork Overview

和田彫勇 Wada Hori Yu; 綱島亀吉 Tsunashima Kamekichi; 月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 痛そう:寛政年間女郎の風俗 Ita sō: Kansei nenkan jorō no fūzoku (Looking in Pain: The Appearance of a Kansei-era Prostitute)
和田彫勇 Wada Hori Yu; 綱島亀吉 Tsunashima Kamekichi; 月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 痛そう:寛政年間女郎の風俗 Ita sō: Kansei nenkan jorō no fūzoku (Looking in Pain: The Appearance of a Kansei-era Prostitute)
月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi , ,
痛そう:寛政年間女郎の風俗 Ita sō: Kansei nenkan jorō no fūzoku (Looking in Pain: The Appearance of a Kansei-era Prostitute)
1888, Meiji period (1868–1912)
月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, artist
1839–1892
, artist
1857–1905
, publisher
痛そう:寛政年間女郎の風俗 Ita sō: Kansei nenkan jorō no fūzoku (Looking in Pain: The Appearance of a Kansei-era Prostitute), 1888, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Portfolio/Series title: 風俗三十二相 Fūzoku Sanjūni sō (Thirty-two Aspects of Customs and Manners)
Where object was made: Japan
Material/technique: color woodcut
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 355 x 236 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 363 x 236 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 14 0.9764 x 9 5/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 14 5/16 x 9 5/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in
Credit line: Museum purchase: Lucy Shaw Schultz Fund
Accession number: 1993.0317
Not on display
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Exhibition Label: “Embodiment,” Nov-2005, Kate Meyer In this print of a jorō (lower-class prostitute), the woman’s pained facial expression, her pose as she twists away from the needle, and striking patterns on her kimono combine to create an image filled with immediacy and sensuality. The simple word being tattooed on the jorō’s arm is sakura, which means cherry blossom. The exact connotation of this word is unclear and could refer to the transient nature of her beauty – essentially, her professional security. Archive Label date unknown: This image of a lower-class prostitute whom Yoshitoshi whimsically places in the Kansei period (1789-1801), is one of the most emotional and visually striking in his series of beautiful women. The young woman is seen in disarray, her hair escaping from its original coiffure and her kimono slipping apart to reveal scarlet underclothing. She twists away from the painful tattoo needle at work on her arm, biting on her tenugui (hand towel) to keep from crying out. The simple word being tattooed on her arm is "sakura" (cherry blossom), perhaps the nickname of her patron or lover, and is certainly a reference to the transient nature of her beauty and, therefore, of her professional security.