Three geisha — Kayo from Kyoto, Ikkaku from Osaka, and Kokichi from Tokyo — are depicted in this February 1877 [nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e) displaying the regional variations in dress, coiffure, and bearing that distinguished the geisha traditions of Japan's three great cities. The triple-city comparison was a standard format in [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) since the Edo period, allowing artists to display multiple figures while implicitly staging a competition of regional beauty. Kiyochika's 1877 version, produced near the beginning of his major career, shows him working within the bijin-ga tradition before his landscapes became his primary focus.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
The Geisha Kayo of Kyoto, Ikkaku of Osaka, and Kokichi of Tokyo was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親) in February 1877.
The Geisha Kayo of Kyoto, Ikkaku of Osaka, and Kokichi of Tokyo depicts bijin-ga, set at Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka.
The Geisha Kayo of Kyoto, Ikkaku of Osaka, and Kokichi of Tokyo measures 36.2 × 24.8 cm (Oban format).
