Chōzan of Chōjiya from the series Triptych of Beauties Before Blinds
- Date:
- 1753–1806
- Medium:
- color woodblock print
- Source:
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Chozan of Chojiya, from Kitagawa Utamaro's series [Triptych](/glossary/triptych) of Beauties Before Blinds (held by the Cleveland Museum of Art), portrays one of the highest-ranking courtesans of the Yoshiwara establishment Chojiya as she stands or sits behind a half-rolled reed blind. The cataloged date of 1753 predates Utamaro's career and reflects an archival convention; the print itself belongs to his mature output of the 1790s, when his Edo [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) of named Yoshiwara women defined [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e)'s portrait tradition. The blind, a recurring device in Utamaro's compositions, mediates between the courtesan's interior world and the viewer outside, allowing him to play with partial veiling, the geometry of horizontal slats, and the soft transparency of patterned silk seen through reed. Chozan's elaborate hairstyle, multiple ornamental kanzashi, and tiered kimono identify her by rank without need of caption. As one panel of a triptych, the sheet was conceived to read both independently and across two companions, creating a panoramic display of Chojiya's stars that flattered the house as much as it celebrated its women.
![A Low Class Prostitute (Gun [teppo]), from the series “Five Shades of Ink in the Northern Quarter" ("Hokkoku goshiki-zumi") by Kitagawa Utamaro](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/ed82be98-8a83-4163-ccc4-e2f7210cce55/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
c. 1794/95
Color woodblock print; oban
c. 1793
color woodblock print
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Chōzan of Chōjiya from the series Triptych of Beauties Before Blinds was created by Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿) in 1753–1806.
Yes — Chōzan of Chōjiya from the series Triptych of Beauties Before Blinds is part of the Triptych of Beauties Before Blinds series by Kitagawa Utamaro.
Chōzan of Chōjiya from the series Triptych of Beauties Before Blinds depicts bijin-ga.
