Object

Handscroll of Brushworks by Prostitutes

Keio Object Hub
Date
制作年 AD17
Title
メイギショカン
Collections
Depository
Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
Ref. number
AW-CEN-000258-0000
License
CC BY Images license
Creditline

慶應義塾(センチュリー赤尾コレクション)

URL
Classification
Art
AI Tagging
Gesture Wood Art Font Twig

This handscroll is a collection of brushworks of poems and letters written by renowned prostitutes working at entertainment quarters. It contains renditions by Takao, who worked in the famous Yoshiwara red-light district of Edo, Yoshino Dayu, a well-known prostitute from Kyoto, and a dozen other women. Although not many accounts of their lives exist today, these women were equivalent to today’s “celebs” and charmed the world not only with their great beauty but also with their deep learning in waka, calligraphy and other cultural pursuits, in addition to singing and dancing skills. Only a few brushworks by geisha women have survived to this day, thus the exhibited scroll is truly a rarity. The writing style reflects the Otsu School, patterned after Ono-no-Otsu (1568-1631?), whose brushstrokes were regarded highly by women of the upper class. The dozens of geisha women selected different decorated ryoshi and wrote waka poems on them in a most elegant manner.

Rights

Ref. number
AW-CEN-000258-0000
License
CC BY
Creditline

慶應義塾(センチュリー赤尾コレクション)

Images
license

Depository and ID

Depository
Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko)
Campus Mita
URL
Classification
Art

Components

OPEN DATADESIGN

Details

Identifiers

Title (EN)
Handscroll of Brushworks by Prostitutes

Physical description

Weights and quantities
Quantity 1巻
Materials, techniques and shape
Materials 染紙 金銀切箔散

Identifiers

Title (EN)
Handscroll of Brushworks by Prostitutes

Physical description

Weights and quantities
Quantity 1巻
Materials, techniques and shape
Materials 染紙 金銀切箔散