Artwork Page for Courtesans Promenading on the Nakanochō

Details / Information for Courtesans Promenading on the Nakanochō

Courtesans Promenading on the Nakanochō

仲之町の花魁道中

c. 1790

Utagawa Toyokuni 歌川 豊国

(Japanese, 1769–1825)
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Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
One of a triptych of color woodblock prints
Measurements
Each: 37.8 x 25.8 cm (14 7/8 x 10 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore 1930.211.c
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Nakanochō was the main street in Yoshiwara, a famous walled pleasure district that housed as many as 4,000 courtesans. In the early evening, elaborately dressed courtesans accompanied by attendants promenaded on the central thoroughfare, as in this scene. The open buildings with shop curtains hanging from their eaves are teahouses, establishments where men could arrange appointments with courtesans of the more prestigious brothels.
A vertically oriented woodblock print in muted tan, black, and gray depicts five women and a child with light skin and black hair walking past a building that recedes from the upper right. They wear patterned kimonos, and one woman holds an open fan. Lanterns hang from eaves above rows of windows. Vertical Japanese calligraphy appears in the bottom corners, framing the scene against a plain, light-colored background.

Courtesans Promenading on the Nakanochō

c. 1790

Utagawa Toyokuni

(Japanese, 1769–1825)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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