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「岡田屋内」 「若人」 by Kawanabe Kyosai — Japanese Woodblock print

「岡田屋内」 「若人」

by Kawanabe Kyosai

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Description

Okadaya-uchi Wakahito completes the known trio of Okadaya courtesan prints by Kyosai. The name Wakahito suggests youth, possibly indicating a junior rank within the house hierarchy or a stage name evoking freshness. In the licensed quarter's internal structure, younger attendants (kamuro) accompanied senior courtesans and were themselves subjects of print series documenting the quarter's social organization. Whether Wakahito is a fully ranked courtesan or a younger attendant, the print would present her in appropriate dress for her standing, with Kyosai's characteristic attention to the psychological presence of the figure distinguishing the work within the bijin-ga genre.

More Prints by Kawanabe Kyosai

Frequently Asked Questions

「岡田屋内」 「若人」 was created by Kawanabe Kyosai (河鍋暁斎).