No. 5 - Summer Geisha - 夏奴
- Date:
- 1934
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
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 summer geisha — Natsuko — is depicted in the distinctive pale colors and lightweight textiles of hot-weather dress, the thin fabrics of summer kimono contrasting with the heavier silks of cooler seasons. The bijin-ga tradition found particular richness in summer subjects, where heat provided an excuse to depict women in fewer, lighter layers, the body's form more visible through the thin silk. Kotondo's geisha figure combines professional poise with the particular ease of summer, the heat slowing every gesture toward elegance.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
No. 5 - Summer Geisha - 夏奴 was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in 1934.
No. 5 - Summer Geisha - 夏奴 was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1934).
No. 5 - Summer Geisha - 夏奴 depicts bijin-ga and summer.
