Color woodblock print for a rigid fan (uchiwa-e), 210 × 290 mm.
A high-ranking courtesan (oiran, 花魁) seated on kin'un (金雲, golden decorative clouds) before a large lacquer dressing mirror (姿見, sugatami) on a decorated stand; rocks with pine trees, white clouds, blue sky, and a skein of geese in flight in the background. The courtesan wears a black kimono with white floral motifs over a red kimono with white cherry blossom pattern; collar with sayagata (紗綾形) pattern; red obi decorated with phoenixes and dragons; elaborate hairstyle with numerous kanzashi (簪) with spherical wave-pattern ornaments.
Appearing in the mirror: the face of a kabuki actor, possibly Sawamura Tosshō I (identification uncertain) — the object of the courtesan's reverie.
Inscriptions. Right: artist's signature Kōchōrō Kunisada ga (香朝樓國貞画); publisher's mark 十 (jū) for Kojimaya Jūbei (小島屋重兵衛); censor seal kiwame (極). No date seal. Binding holes along the right margin.
Additional Information
| Collection | Fan print (Uchiwa-e) [団扇絵] , Japanese prints and drawings |
|---|---|
| Type / Purpose | Fan , Woodblock print |
| Period | 19 AD , Edo period [江戸時代] (1603–1868) , Mid-19th century , Tenpō era [天保] (1830–1844) |
| Country | Japan |
| Material | Washi |
| Media/Technique | Woodblock print (nishiki-e) |
| Size | Fan print. Uchiwa-e |
| Genre | Actor Prints (Yakusha-e, 役者絵) , Beauty Prints (Bijin-ga, 美人画) |
| Subject | Actor print , Actors , Beautiful woman (bijin-ga) , Courtesans , Dreaming , Edo period (江戸時代, 1603–1868) , Fan print , Geisha (芸者) , Geishas , Japan , Japanese woodblock prints , Kabuki , Kabuki actor , Kabuki actors , Mirror , Mitate , Uchiwa-e , Ukiyo-e , Women , Women in art , Young woman , Kagami (鏡, mirror) , Oiran (花魁, high-ranking courtesan) , Kin'un (金雲, golden decorative clouds) |
| Series | Untitled series of beautiful women dreaming of kabuki actors |
| School | Utagawa (歌川) |
| Signature | Kōchōrō Kunisada ga (香朝樓國貞画) |
| Creation / Publishing year | 1835 , 1836 , 1837 , 1838 , 1839 , 1840 |
| Acquisition year | 2026 |
