Cherry blossoms in the New Yoshiwara

Utagawa Toyokuni (1769–1825), also often referred to as Toyokuni I, to distinguish him from the members of his school who took over his gō (art-name) after he died, was a great master of ukiyo-e, known in particular for his kabuki actor prints (<em>yakusha-e</em>). He was the second head of the renowned Utagawa school of Japanese woodblock artists, and was the artist who really moved it to the position of great fame and power it occupied for the rest of the 19th century.

This rare and important print is not a <em>yakusha-e</em>; rather, it draws on the conventions of <em>Yamato-e</em> scenes of daily life, though the correct genre here would be a <em>nigao-e</em> scene of 'true-view' realism. The rightmost panel of a pentaptych (five-sheet) print suggests that the other panels recorded the carefully choreographed procession of the <em>oiran dochu. </em>The <em>dochu</em> (procession) was performed four times during the year, to coincide with the change of seasons. It offered the <em>oiran</em> (high class courtesans) of the notorious Yoshiwara licensed quarters of Edo a rare opportunity to move beyond their cloistered words, and gave the public a chance to view beauties much celebrated in <em>bijinga-e</em> prints of beautiful women, including those by Toyokuni himself. In this instance, the <em>oiran and </em>their 'younger sister' <em>kamuro</em> and <em>yūjo</em> prostitutes are jostled by touts, a delivery boy and <em>norimono</em> 'palanquin' carriers as they pass through Yoshiwara Omon, the Great Gate of Yoshiwara. Toyokuni's viewers would have delighted in the carefully observed variety of dress, pose and gesture of each character in the composition.

Sources:

David Bell and Mark Stocker, 'Rising sun at Te Papa: the Heriot collection of Japanese art', https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/document/10608

Wikipedia, 'Utagawa Toyokuni', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utagawa_Toyokuni

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art   May 2019