Artwork Page for Hell Courtesan

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Hell Courtesan

地獄太夫図

1871–89

Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋 暁斎

(Japanese, 1831–1889)
Culture
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold, and silver on silk
Measurements
Image: 144.2 x 67.6 cm (56 3/4 x 26 5/8 in.); Overall: 233.7 x 92.1 cm (92 x 36 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith 1985.268
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

The word for longevity appears multiple times in gold and silver on her outer robe.

Description

Kawanabe Kyōsai repeated this large-scale composition with variations a number of times. In this version, a famous 15th-century courtesan known for wearing a robe with images of the Buddhist hells stands before a folding screen. Legend has it that she was abducted by bandits, and wore the garment to symbolize her belief that her suffering in her current life was punishment for sins committed in a former life. Here, in a parody depiction of the garment, the courtesan stands in for Benzaiten, the goddess of everything that flows, while the remaining members of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune appear on her outer robe. One of them reports sins to Enma, the King of Hell, who is writing out his judgments on the recently deceased.
A hanging scroll depicts a woman wearing a dress and robe of many colors in a swirling design. The robe pools on the ground as she looks over her shoulder at it. A lightly sketched-out folding screen is behind her with images of foliage, clouds, and the moon.

Hell Courtesan

1871–89

Kawanabe Kyōsai

(Japanese, 1831–1889)
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)

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