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Kisegawa of the Matsubaya, from the series by Kitagawa Utamaro — Japanese Woodblock print

Kisegawa of the Matsubaya, from the series

by Kitagawa Utamaro

Ukiyo-e
Landscapes
Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Art Institute of Chicago

Description

Kisegawa was among the most frequently depicted courtesans in Utamaro's serial portraiture of the Yoshiwara, appearing in multiple series across his career as a recognized beauty of the Matsubaya, one of the quarter's prominent establishments. This oban portrait likely presents her in okubi-e format, the composition truncated at bust or mid-torso to concentrate on facial expression and the elaborate dressed hair secured with multiple kanzashi. The Matsubaya, located on the Nakanochô, ranked among the licensed houses whose leading courtesans achieved something approaching celebrity in late Edo culture, their faces recognizable to print collectors and theater audiences alike. Utamaro's recurring attention to Kisegawa over multiple series suggests both her cultural prominence and the collector demand her image generated.

More Prints by Kitagawa Utamaro

A Low Class Prostitute (Gun [teppo]), from the series “Five Shades of Ink in the Northern Quarter" ("Hokkoku goshiki-zumi") by Kitagawa Utamaro

A Low Class Prostitute (Gun [teppo]), from the series “Five Shades of Ink in the Northern Quarter" ("Hokkoku goshiki-zumi")

c. 1794/95

Color woodblock print; oban

Woman Holding a Fan (from the series Ten Aspects of the Physiognomy of Women) by Kitagawa Utamaro

Woman Holding a Fan (from the series Ten Aspects of the Physiognomy of Women)

c. 1793

color woodblock print

Akashi of the Tamaya, from the series Seven Komachis of Yoshiwara (Seiro nana Komachi) (Tamaya uchi Akashi, Uraji, Shimano) by Kitagawa Utamaro

Akashi of the Tamaya, from the series Seven Komachis of Yoshiwara (Seiro nana Komachi) (Tamaya uchi Akashi, Uraji, Shimano)

Woodblock print

Hour of the Tiger (Tora no koku = 4 AM) from the series Twelve Hours in Yoshiwara (Seirô jûni toki tsuzuki), Late Edo period, circa 1794 by Kitagawa Utamaro

Hour of the Tiger (Tora no koku = 4 AM) from the series Twelve Hours in Yoshiwara (Seirô jûni toki tsuzuki), Late Edo period, circa 1794

Woodblock print

More Landscapes Prints

Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)" by Kawase Hasui

Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"

Wakasa Kugushiko

1920

Color woodblock print; oban

Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei) by Insho Domoto

Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)

Woodblock print

The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)" by Kawase Hasui

The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"

1934

Color woodblock print; oban

Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami) by Utagawa Hiroshige

Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)

n.d.

Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet

Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Mount Fuji in Japanese Woodblock PrintsMeisho-e: Famous-Place Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

Kisegawa of the Matsubaya, from the series was created by Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿).

Kisegawa of the Matsubaya, from the series depicts landscapes.