This is among Kotondo's most celebrated compositions. Kotondo created only 21 bijin-ga designs (1927–1933), and the original woodblocks were destroyed before WWII, making any original period impression extraordinarily rare. "Kamisuki (Hair Combing)" set the artist record at $72,500 at Christie's New York in 2019.
A woman's hair is disheveled in the particular way called asanegami — morning hair, the just-awakened state before the daily grooming that composes one for public presentation. Kotondo chose this subject repeatedly in 1931, drawn to the vulnerability of the morning moment, when a woman is most fully herself and least constructed for others. The loose strands and undone arrangement of the hair become a kind of emotional portrait, a rendering of private life before the ceremonies of the day begin.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Morning Hair - Asa Negami — 朝寝髪 was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in 1931.
Morning Hair - Asa Negami — 朝寝髪 was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1931).
Morning Hair - Asa Negami — 朝寝髪 depicts figures, bijin-ga, and portraits.
