Summer Geisha- Natsuko — 夏妓
- 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 named Natsuko — the professional name meaning "summer child" — is depicted in the lightweight dress appropriate to the hot season, her thin kimono and relaxed bearing conveying the particular atmosphere of Tokyo in midsummer. This 1934 composition is among Kotondo's final original bijin-ga designs, the geisha's summer persona combining professional poise with the ease that heat imposes on every gesture. The full Japanese title Natsuko grounds the figure in a specific identity within the summer pleasure world.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Summer Geisha- Natsuko — 夏妓 was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in 1934.
Summer Geisha- Natsuko — 夏妓 was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1934).
Summer Geisha- Natsuko — 夏妓 depicts bijin-ga and summer.
