The Courtesan Takihime and Attendants (from the series New Patterns of Young Greens)

Discussion

FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG

The designs on Takihime’s outer robe describes fragments of scenery—bridge, castle, wind-filled sails amid clouds—while her attendants’ robes are more conventionally decorated with scattered flowers. The tassels on their sleeves were worn only by young girls. All three wear the triple-fan crest of the Ogiya ("House of Fans") tea house on the shoulders of their kimono. The cartouche in the upper-right corner of the print identifies the series title and time of year. It is New Year, the same season depicted in Engetsudo’s scroll Courtesan and Attendants (see 1985.255). Courtesans strolling through the streets with their attendants were common sights during evening hours in the Yoshiwara.

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