Courtesan Dreaming of her Childhood

c. 1770

Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信

(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Sheet: 68 x 12.8 cm (26 3/4 x 5 1/16 in.)
Location: not on view
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Did You Know?

Pillar prints, or hashira-e (柱絵), are long and narrow Japanese woodblock prints originally intended to decorate wooden pillars.

Description

This print depicts a courtesan dreaming about the time she was taken from her family to become a courtesan. The man leading the girl by the hand is probably escorting her to the Yoshiwara, the entertainment district in Edo. This format is called a pillar print, or hashira-e (literally, "pillar picture"). It is made by pasting two sheets together vertically to form a long, narrow picture, often hung as a decoration on the narrow support posts of the interior of Japanese houses.
Courtesan Dreaming of her Childhood

Courtesan Dreaming of her Childhood

c. 1770

Suzuki Harunobu

(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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