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Hell Courtesan

地獄太夫図

1871–89

Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎

(Japanese, 1831–1889)
Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold, and silver on silk
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.)
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith 1985.268
Location: not on view
Public Domain
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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 vertically long hanging scroll painting of many men assisting in an operation on a man's arm while he plays a board game with another man. The painting features vivid colors, including the deep red blood that pours out from the man's arm and into a large dish.

Hell Courtesan

1871–89

Kawanabe Kyōsai

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

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