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Yoshiwara, by Katsukawa Shuncho

Image attached to P.48-2010

An image of Yoshiwara. Shunchô, Katsukawa (Japanese, active c.1781-1801). Colour print from woodblocks (benigirai-e) with blind embossing (karazuri). Aiban format. 1780s. From the series 'Eight Views of Edo' (Edo hakkei). The idea of sets of eight views (hakkei) derived from a traditional set of eight views of Ômi Province, north-east of Kyoto', itself derived from the Chinese series, 'Eight views on the Xiao and Xiang Rivers'. Each view originally had an associated poem, with a mood or time of day. Print designers usually substituted other Japanese settings for the Ômi locations, but always with associated moods (or times of day) carried over from the original set. Sets of eight always included a scene of 'night rain', and in sets of Edo views, the 'night rain' usually featured the Yoshiwara. Two courtesans gaze out at rain through the upstairs window of a Yoshiwara brothel. Distant figures make their way along the Nihon embankment linking the Yoshiwara to Edo, carried in covered palanquins or sheltered by umbrellas.

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About this image

Yoshiwara. Shunchô, Katsukawa (Japanese, active c.1781-1801). Colour print from woodblocks (benigirai-e) with blind embossing (karazuri). Aiban format. 1780s. From the series 'Eight Views of Edo' (Edo hakkei). The idea of sets of eight views (hakkei) derived from a traditional set of eight views of Ômi Province, north-east of Kyoto', itself derived from the Chinese series, 'Eight views on the Xiao and Xiang Rivers'. Each view originally had an associated poem, with a mood or time of day. Print designers usually substituted other Japanese settings for the Ômi locations, but always with associated moods (or times of day) carried over from the original set. Sets of eight always included a scene of 'night rain', and in sets of Edo views, the 'night rain' usually featured the Yoshiwara. Two courtesans gaze out at rain through the upstairs window of a Yoshiwara brothel. Distant figures make their way along the Nihon embankment linking the Yoshiwara to Edo, carried in covered palanquins or sheltered by umbrellas.

Image data

  • Accession Number: P.48-2010
  • Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
  • Aperture: f/16.0
  • Focal length: 80
  • Camera: Hasselblad H3DII-31
  • Photographer name: Michael Jones
  • Image height: 1024 pixels
  • Image width: 750 pixels
  • Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.6 (Macintosh)
  • Filesize: 294.04kB
  • Exposure time: 1/125
  • ISO Speed: 100
  • Fnumber: 16/1
  • Captured: 2013:08:19 10:35:14

Key words

18th Century 458392 Date Department Edo Period Fitz_PDP Interior/Exterior Japanese Medium Nationalities Object Type Other Keywords Workflow _WF_AdOK _WF_KWD _WF_OPACtd _WF_PCtd aiban benigirai-e brothel clothes clothing costume courtesan embossed fashion female geigi geiko geisha hair hairstyle harem interior kanzashi hairpin karazuri kimono obi palanquin pleasure quarters print rain raining rainy sash waiting window woman women woodblock woodcut

Colours in this image

rgb(47,44,39), rgb(211,200,177), rgb(123,115,101), rgb(93,82,70), rgb(161,152,135), rgb(101,93,75), rgb(148,131,115), rgb(150,140,115), rgb(180,163,144), rgb(187,173,138), rgb(84,92,76)

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The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Yoshiwara, by Katsukawa Shuncho" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-188717 Accessed: 2024-12-07 14:58:56

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-188717 |title=Yoshiwara, by Katsukawa Shuncho |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-07 14:58:56|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/images/media-188717

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<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp67/P_48_2010_CE.jpg"
        alt="Yoshiwara"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Yoshiwara, by Katsukawa Shuncho</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>
    

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