Summer Geisha (Natsuko)

A summer geisha — the title Natsuko, "summer child," suggests a geisha's professional name — is depicted in the lightweight dress appropriate to the hot season. The circa-1934 date places this among Kotondo's last original bijin-ga compositions before his public output effectively ceased. The summer geisha was a subject that combined two elements Kotondo favored: the professional world of geisha, with its refined aesthetic codes, and the particular sensory qualities of summer, where heat and thin silk created a distinctive visual atmosphere.