Summer Geisha (Natsuko)
- Date:
- ca. 1934
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
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 — 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.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Summer Geisha (Natsuko) was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in ca. 1934.
Summer Geisha (Natsuko) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (ca. 1934).
Summer Geisha (Natsuko) depicts bijin-ga and summer.
