The Ichiriki ochaya — the most famous of Kyoto's geisha teahouses, located on Hanamikoji Street in Gion — is Karhu's subject in this 1979 print, its ochre-plastered walls and dark wooden lattice gates as recognizable a landmark as any temple. Karhu rendered Hanamikoji Street and the Ichiriki repeatedly across his career, drawn to the way the teahouse's closed, secretive facade embodied the paradox of Gion's world: glamour concealed behind absolute discretion. The composition plays on the tension between the rich ochre of the walls and the dark geometry of the gates.
Woodblock print
1928
Color lithograph
1930
Color lithograph
1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Ichiriki on Hanamikoji was created by Clifton Karhu in 1979.
Ichiriki on Hanamikoji depicts urban scenes, architecture, and daily life.
Ichiriki on Hanamikoji measures 17.3 × 59.5 cm (Oban format).
