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Tsukasa and Other Courtesans of the Ogiya Watching the Autumn Moon Rise Over Rice Fields from a Balcony in the Yoshiwara

Hokusai1799

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

<em>Gomeirō</em> is another name for the fashionable teahouse Ōgi-ya (House of Fans) in the Yoshiwara district of Edo (present-day Tokyo). Two courtesans, each attended by a geisha and a <em>shinzō</em> (apprentice to a courtesan) view a full autumn moon as it rises over the surrounding paddy fields. The elegance of the women's flowing robes and the serenity of the evening with a full silver moon contribute to the poetic atmosphere of this <em>surimono</em>, a privately commissioned print usually accompanied by text—here, a poem, which reads:

What liveliness! Geisha, shinzō, and jesters
fill the room, all guests of the moon.

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  • Title: Tsukasa and Other Courtesans of the Ogiya Watching the Autumn Moon Rise Over Rice Fields from a Balcony in the Yoshiwara
  • Creator: Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760-1849)
  • Date Created: 1799
  • Physical Dimensions: Sheet: 56.6 x 21 cm (22 5/16 x 8 1/4 in.)
  • Type: Print
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1943.4
  • Medium: Surimono; color woodblock print
  • Inscriptions: Signature: Sori aratame Hokusai ga
  • Department: Japanese Art
  • Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Ralph King
  • Collection: Japanese Art
  • Accession Number: 1943.4
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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