Miyagawa Yasunobu, the artist to whom this painting is attributed, was a disciple of Miyagawa Choshun (1683–1753). The only other information about him that is generally available is that he was active during the Kyoho (1716–35) and Genbun (1736–1741) eras and that he executed urushi-e, or lacquer paintings.¹
Yasunobu’s teacher, Choshun, is said to have begun painting during the Hoei period (1704–11), influenced most strongly by Hishikawa Moronobu (1618?–1694) and Kaigetsudo Ando (early 18th century), whose paintings featured tall and elegant courtesans dressed in gorgeous kimono placed against a blank or neutral background. Other characteristics of the school, and the present painting, include the bright color and heavy black outlines, with great emphasis placed on the textile patterns. Choshun (figures 1–2), who worked only as a painter throughout his life and did not design wood-block prints, also differed from other ukiyo-e painters in that his clients were not commoners but rather wealthy merchants and samurai; most of his extant paintings were done on expensive silk rather than paper, as is true of most works done by other contemporaneous ukiyo-e painters.² In addition to Yasunobu, Choshun had a number of other direct pupils who continued his style: Miyagawa Choki (figure 3), Miyagawa Issho (figure 4), and Miyagawa Shunsui (figure 5), a late follower whose works are transitional to those of Katsukawa Shunsho (1726–1792), the next great master after Choshun. The style of Yasunobu’s painting here places him clearly within this first generation of Choshun’s disciples.
The courtesan in Yasunobu’s painting wears a kimono with unique design: the Chinese characters relating to the famous landscape series known as the “Eight Views of the Hsiao and Hsiang Rivers” were left in white reserve during dyeing as was another text written in Japanese kana writing. On the upper portion of the gown, on the chest and each sleeve, appear roundels with images of one of the thirty-six immortal poets set against representations of their writing. These motifs are set off by the red of the inner lining of the kimono and by the strong black lines of the sash the figure is tying, its form appearing almost calligraphic in this context.
Kakie, direct painting with ink and colors on garments, is the simplest method of decorating clothes and is recorded as early as the Nara era. During the late 17th century so-called kakie kosode became very popular (figure 6), as did the practice of using big letters as decorative motifs in textile designs (figure 7). A painting by Baiyuken Katsunobu (figure 8), who was active during the first and second quarters of the 18th century and was thus a contemporary of Yasunobu, illustrates a similar decorative motif based on calligraphy, illustrating the popularity of such kimono designs at the time. Both works stand today as vivid representatives of that extremely fashionable and seductive world.
1. Genshoku Ukiyo-e Daihyakka Jiten, Tokyo, 1982, vol. 2, “Chart of Disciples.”
2. Nagata Seiji: Miyagawa-ha no Keifu to sono Kaishaku, Tokyo, 1995, pp. 50–51.
Fig. 1: Chōshun: “Standing Beauty,” after Miyagawa Chōshun to sono Keifu, Tokyo, 1995, pl. 1.
Fig. 2. Chōshun: “Yujo Seated on a Bench”, ibid., pl. 4.
Fig. 3. Choki: “Standing Yujo,” ibid., pl. 9.
Fig. 4. Issho: “New Year in Yoshiwara,” ibid., pl. 10.
Fig. 5. Shunsui: “Courtesan beneath Cherry Blossoms,” ibid., pl. 20.
Fig. 6. Anonymous: “Three Beauties” detail, Fashion of Edo—Women’s Dress in Ukiyo-e Painting, Tokyo, 1989, p. 63, pl. 9-1.
Fig. 7: Anonymous: “Beauty,” after Fashion of Edo—Women’s Dress in Ukiyo-e Painting, Tokyo, 1989, p. 89, pl. 53-6.
Fig. 8: Katsunobu: “Beauty,” after Nikuhitsu Ukiyo-e Taikan, Tokyo, 1996, vol. 3, pl. 28.
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