Kikugawa Eizan. The Two Lovers Komurasaki and Gonpachi Reading a Letter / Hashira-e, c. 1815.

Artist: Kikugawa Eizan [菊川 英山] (Japanese, 1787 – 1867)
Signed: 英山筆 (Eizan hitsu)
Date: c. 1815
Media: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; Hashira-e (pillar print) 62 × 10.5 cm (24.4 × 4.1 inches)

Title: The Two Lovers Komurasaki and Gonpachi Reading a Letter (Komurasaki to Gonpachi no tegami yomi, 小紫と権八の手紙読み)

Description:
This pillar print by Kikugawa Eizan depicts the tragic lovers Komurasaki and Shirai Gonpachi (小紫と権八), shown reading a letter together. Komurasaki, a courtesan, leans in close to the youthful Gonpachi, who wears a robe emblazoned with bold family crests. A partially unrolled scroll is visible in Komurasaki's hand. Her elaborate hairstyle and multiple kanzashi identify her as a high-ranking courtesan.

The story of their ill-fated romance—rooted in historical events and widely adapted on stage—was immensely popular in Edo-period culture. Gonpachi, a young samurai from the Tottori domain, fled to Edo after committing a murder and was ultimately executed in 1679. Komurasaki, overwhelmed by grief, took her own life at his grave. Their tale became emblematic of doomed love, mixing eroticism and pathos in both kabuki and ukiyo-e prints.

This design is recorded in Jacob Pins ' The Japanese Pillar Print and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden.

This impression is in very good condition for a hashira-e of the early 19th century, retaining color in the robes and detail in the facial features.

References:

• Jacob Pins, The Japanese Pillar Print, #972 / p. 341

• Leiden, Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde

• MET Museum: Entry on Komurasaki and Gonpachi legend