Applying Make-up (Keshô), from the series Two Views of Modern Fashions (Kindai jisei yosooi no uchi ni)

Part of the series Kindai jisei yosooi no uchi ni (Two Views of Modern Fashions), this print presents cosmetic application as an explicitly modern subject — keshô here meaning the Western-inflected makeup practices adopted by the moga generation, distinct from the white face powder of Meiji-era [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga). As one of a [diptych](/glossary/diptych) or pair, the composition likely reads in dialogue with its companion piece, sharing a tonal key or mirrored spatial logic. Kobayakawa renders the paraphernalia of modern grooming — compact mirror, rouge, powder brush — with the same observational particularity he brings to facial expression. The series title frames this not as timeless feminine ritual but as a sociological document of a specific historical moment, a distinction that aligns Kobayakawa's project with the broader [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) interest in contemporaneity over classicism. Technically, the print would employ multiple fine-cut blocks to render the reflective surfaces of cosmetic implements alongside the softer textures of skin and fabric.