Courtesan and client: parody of the Kiritsubo Chapter of the Tale of Genji (Mitate Genji Kiritsubo) / Okumura Masanobu
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1948/1.198
- Title
- Courtesan and client: parody of the Kiritsubo Chapter of the Tale of Genji (Mitate Genji Kiritsubo)
- Artist
- Okumura Masanobu
- Artist Nationality
- Japanese
- Artist Life Dates
- 1686-1764
- Medium and Support
- Oban (large-size) sumizurii-e (monochrome woodblock print) on paper
- Object Creation Date
- 1711-1716
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- Japan (nation)
- Kanto (region)
- Tokyo (metropolis)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Japan (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Kanto (region)
- Creation Place 4
- Tokyo (metropolis)
- Style/Group/Movement
- ukiyo-e
- Inscription
- No signature
- No publisher's seal mark
- Dimensions
- 26.7 cm x 35.9 cm (10 1/2 in. x 14 1/8 in.)
- Century
- 18th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Primary Object Type
- black and white print
- Physical Description
- A monochrome print depicting two standing women and a reclining man in a room. The taller woman, a courtesan, wears an elaborate kimono of butterfly design and under-kimono of geometric patterns; her hair is tied on the back, wearing tortoise shell comb and hairpin. She is holding skirts of kimono and under-kimono with her right hand and is hiding her left hand under the kimono. The second woman, an attendant, is standing behind the courtesan, holding a doll of a boy and her face turning away. She wears a plain kimono with pine tree design and obi (sash) with striped patterns. The man is reclining and looking toward the courtesan. They seem to engage in conversation. The man wears kimono with design of coins and short jacket with plaid patterns. His hair is shaved on top and tied on the back. There is a folded screen behind him, depicting a plum tree by river. In front of him, there are a sake pitcher, sake cup and its stand, and a bowl with food accompanied by a tray and chopsticks. There is a title of the print in cartouche at upper right.
- Subject Matter
- The cartouche at upper right identifies the scene as an illustration of the first chapter of the Tale of Genji, a court romance written in the early eleventh century by Murasaki Shikibu (In fact, this print is one of a series, with 54 scenes for each chapter in the novel.) The core moment in the chapter is when the child Genji is introduced to a seer, who forecasts his future. Here, in a playful modernization of that august topic, we appear to witness the first encounter of a courtesan and her customer. The boy doll in the attndant's hands may refer to child Genji.
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- arthropods
- buildings and the land
- commercial buildings
- deciduous trees
- furnishings
- furnishings by form or function
- furniture
- furniture by form or function
- insects
- landscapes (environments)
- natural landscapes
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by occupation
- people in service occupations
- plants
- prostitutes
- service industry buildings
- settlements and landscapes
- single built works
- single built works by function
- single built works by specific type
- trees
- trees by leaf life
- vegetation and vegetation components
- vegetation components
- woody plants
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 1255 x 925
- File Size
- 179 KB
- Record
- 1948/1.198
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1948-sl-1.198/1948_1.198.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1948-SL-1.198:1948_1.198.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Courtesan and client: parody of the Kiritsubo Chapter of the Tale of Genji (Mitate Genji Kiritsubo); Okumura Masanobu." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1948-sl-1.198/1948_1.198.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 17, 2024.