Kotondo's bijin-ga are prized for their psychologically intimate portrayals of modern Tokyo women. With only 21 designs and original woodblocks destroyed, all genuine 1930s impressions are scarce. Sotheby's estimated "Summer Geisha" at $8,000–$12,000 in 2023.
A nude woman combs her hair while bathing, her body turned away from the viewer as she tends to herself. This 1929 print explores the nude bijin-ga subject with the same restraint and attentiveness Kotondo brought to his clothed figures — the body observed without sensationalism, the intimate act rendered with quiet respect. The composition balances the vulnerability of the nude figure with the absorbed competence of someone practiced in self-care, unconcerned with being observed.
Mutsu Tsuta onsen
1919
Color woodblock print; oban
1943
Color woodblock print
Autumn 1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
1924
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
No. 12 - Combing In The Bath - 裸婦髪梳き was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in 1929.
No. 12 - Combing In The Bath - 裸婦髪梳き was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1929).
No. 12 - Combing In The Bath - 裸婦髪梳き depicts nude, figures, and bijin-ga.
