
Fumi no kiyogaki
- Date:
- 1801
- Medium:
- Source:
- Victoria and Albert Museum
Description
A Victoria and Albert Museum print dated 1801, this design titled Fumi no kiyogaki ('A Fair Copy of a Letter') depicts a woman in the act of writing or copying out a letter — a classical bijin-ga motif that allowed the artist to picture a moment of feminine literacy and interiority. The title alludes to the careful, neat hand in which a courtesan would copy out a final fair copy of a private letter to a patron, the writing itself being one of the cultivated accomplishments by which top-ranked Yoshiwara women were judged. The 1801 date places this print at or just past the end of Eishō's securely attributed career; it is among the latest works recorded under his signature. The V&A's impression preserves the design cleanly and provides an endpoint marker for his short, concentrated production.
More Prints by Chōkōsai Eishō

The Chōjiya Pleasure House by Day (Chōjiya hiru-mise)
ca. 1798
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper

Two Beauties Reading a Letter
c. 1780/1800
Color woodblock print; hashira-e

Women Standing on Veranda by a River
c. 1780/1800
Color woodblock print; hashira-e

Women on a Fishing Boat
c. 1780/1800
Color woodblock print; left sheet of oban triptych (right sheet: 1997.729a, center sheet: 1997.729b)
Frequently Asked Questions
Fumi no kiyogaki was created by Chōkōsai Eishō (鳥高斎栄昌) in 1801.