
Yaoya Oshichi and Koshô Kichisaburô (Yaoya Oshichi and Koshô Kichisaburô)
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
This print depicts Yaoya Oshichi and Kosho Kichisaburo — the famous tragic lovers whose story became one of the defining romances of Edo-period popular culture. Oshichi was the young daughter of a greengrocer who fell in love with a temple page Kichisaburo during a fire; she later set fire to her own house hoping to return to the temple and see him again, and was executed for arson. Her story, dramatized by Ihara Saikaku and in kabuki, was among the most beloved of the period's tragic narratives.
More Prints 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
Woodblock print

Ikebana arrangement of Peony and Willow in Dragon Pot
1781–1806
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

The Greatest Beauties of Our Time (Toji zensei bijin zoroe): Somenosuke of the Matsubaya with Attendants Wakagi and Wakaba
Woodblock print
More Figures Prints
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yaoya Oshichi and Koshô Kichisaburô (Yaoya Oshichi and Koshô Kichisaburô) was created by Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿).
Yaoya Oshichi and Koshô Kichisaburô (Yaoya Oshichi and Koshô Kichisaburô) depicts figures, bijin-ga, and portraits.



