Utagawa Yoshitora. Courtesans at the Goseirō Building, New Yoshiwara / Preparatory Drawing for a Fan Print, c. 1870.
Artist: Utagawa Yoshitora [歌川 芳虎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1850-80)
Signature: Yoshitora ga (よしとらが , drawn by Yoshitora)
Publisher: Izumya (泉屋) (Japanese, active circa 1845–1870); publisher’s seal 申 (“Monkey”) under roof; unidentified; Marks U101 | 02-053.
Date: Early Meiji period, circa 1870.
Medium: Preparatory drawing (shita-e) for a fan print (uchiwa-e); brush and ink on thin ‘India’ paper, laid down.
Dimensions: 242 × 254 mm (9.5 × 10 inches).
Genre: Kaika-e (prints of enlightenment)
Description: Preparatory drawing for an uncut fan print (uchiwa-e) depicting three female figures—two courtesans and a young kamuro—standing on a Western-style rooftop terrace in New Yoshiwara. The background features the domed tower and upper floors of the Goseirō (五階楼, Five-Story Tower), the iconic brothel building completed shortly before 1871 as part of Yoshiwara’s modernisation. Visible architectural features include arched windows, Western-style balustrades, and a domed rooftop with a wind vane.
Two inscriptions appear on the drawing:
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Top left: ぎやまんすだれ (giyaman sudare, Glass screens)
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Top right: 上開ちんし景 (Ue hiraki chinshi kei, Contemplation view from top).
- Bottom right: よしとらが (Yoshitora ga, Drawn by Yoshitora)
These annotations describe decorative architectural elements and confirm the modernised Meiji-era setting.
Attribution Note: Previously attributed to Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) by Gerhard Schack in 1976 [LIB-3437.2025], this work is now correctly identified as by Utagawa Yoshitora, a pupil of Kuniyoshi. The attribution is supported by the artist’s signature よしとらが (Yoshitora ga, drawn by Yoshitora). The style, characterised by modern architectural elements, is consistent with Yoshitora’s production of kaika-e (prints of enlightenment) during the early Meiji period, reflecting Japan’s modernisation after the death of Kuniyoshi. The previous misidentification likely resulted from limited knowledge of Meiji-period developments within the Émile Javal collection.
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| Gerhard Schack (1976): 67. Kuniyoshi: Szene in Yoshiwara | Utagawa Yoshitora. Courtesans at the Goseirō Building, New Yoshiwara |
The same building by Utagawa Yoshitora:
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| Subject | Cityscape, Courtesans, Fan, Fan print, Goseirō (五階楼, Five-Story Tower), Japan, Kaika-e (prints of enlightenment), Kamuro, Meiji Period (1868 – 1912), Preparatory design (shita-e), Shin-Yoshiwara, Uchiwa-e, Yoshiwara, Yoshiwara Pleasure District (Edo) |
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