'Jigoku Daiyu, the Hell Courtesan, meditating'
- Date:
- 19th century
- Medium:
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Victoria and Albert Museum
Jigoku Dayū—the "Hell Courtesan"—was a celebrated Muromachi-era prostitute from Sakai who became a pupil of the Rinzai Zen master Ikkyū Sōjun. According to legend, she achieved enlightenment after Ikkyū presented her with a skeleton wearing the robes of a courtesan, causing her to recognize the impermanence beneath the surface of desire. Yoshitoshi depicts her in meditative absorption, dressed in robes decorated with hell imagery that she wore as a deliberate confrontation with mortality and impermanence.
1888
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
'Jigoku Daiyu, the Hell Courtesan, meditating' was created by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) in 19th century.
'Jigoku Daiyu, the Hell Courtesan, meditating' depicts bijin-ga.
