The Mistress Okichi (of Townsend Harris) (Tojin Okichi)
- Date:
- 1932
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Scholten Japanese Art
Description
"The Mistress Okichi (of Townsend Harris)" (Tojin Okichi), from 1932, depicts the historical figure of Saito Kichi, known as Tojin Okichi — the young Japanese woman given as companion to Townsend Harris, the first American consul to Japan, in the late 1850s. Her story became a celebrated and tragic symbol of Japan's opening to the West and the personal costs borne by those caught between cultures. Kobayakawa renders her with the same sympathy and directness he brought to his contemporary bijin subjects, honoring the historical woman beneath the legend.
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The Mistress Okichi
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Mistress Okichi (of Townsend Harris) (Tojin Okichi) was created by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (小早川清) in 1932.
The Mistress Okichi (of Townsend Harris) (Tojin Okichi) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1932).
The Mistress Okichi (of Townsend Harris) (Tojin Okichi) depicts bijin-ga and portraits.