The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Courtesans Promenading on the Nakanochō

Courtesans Promenading on the Nakanochō

c. 1790
(Japanese, 1769–1825)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
triptych of color woodblock prints
Each: 37.8 x 25.8 cm (14 7/8 x 10 3/16 in.)
Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore 1930.211
Location: not on view

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.
  • (Yamanaka & Co., New York, NY)
    Hayashi Tadamasa
    ?–1930
    Edward L. Whittemore [1862–1930], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1930–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Howard Conley Hollis. "The Edward Loder Whittemore Collection of Japanese Prints." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 17, no. 4 (1930): 64-66. 64-66
  • Visions of Japan: Prints and Paintings from Cleveland Collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 12, 2004–April 10, 2005).
    Ukiyo-e: The Floating World Revisited. Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR (October 26–December 30, 1993);The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 2–April 3, 1994). cat. II-29
    Transformations in Japanese Printmaking. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 25-December 30, 1984).
  • {{cite web|title=Courtesans Promenading on the Nakanochō|url=false|author=Utagawa Toyokuni|year=c. 1790|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.211