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Hinazuru of the Chojiya, Whose Attendants Are Tsuruji and Tsuruno (Chôjiya uchi Hinazuru, Tsuruji, Tsuruno), from the series  by Kitagawa Utamaro — Japanese Woodblock print

Hinazuru of the Chojiya, Whose Attendants Are Tsuruji and Tsuruno (Chôjiya uchi Hinazuru, Tsuruji, Tsuruno), from the series

by Kitagawa Utamaro

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Art Institute of Chicago

Description

Depicting the courtesan Hinazuru flanked by her two kamuro attendants, Tsuruji and Tsuruno, this print records the formal hierarchy of the Chôjiya establishment. The inclusion of kamuro — young girls training within the Yoshiwara system — situates the composition within a recognizable social structure and provides scale contrast that emphasizes Hinazuru's status and bearing. Utamaro differentiates the three figures through kimono pattern, hairstyle, and posture: the attendants' simpler dress and girlish coiffures offset the high courtesan's layered robes and formal obi. The Chôjiya was among the leading establishments of the Yoshiwara's central Nakanochô street, lending this portrait a prestige within the series that would have been legible to contemporary viewers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Hinazuru of the Chojiya, Whose Attendants Are Tsuruji and Tsuruno (Chôjiya uchi Hinazuru, Tsuruji, Tsuruno), from the series was created by Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿).