Utagawa Yoshitora (active 1850-1880) All the Beauties of the World: A Courtesan Promenading Under Cherry Trees of the Yoshiwara, Accompanied by Her Child Attendant, 1859. Oban.
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This short series of prints displaying the contemporary manners of the
red light district in Edo in 1859 is a masterpiece of the printer's art.
The colours are rich and dense, the sheet size is generous and the
paper, inks and cutting are of the very best quality.
The series - we have three prints on offer - and I know of two others in the Wellcome Foundation Collection
- has possibly only five separate prints; each print showing near
identical themes. A courtesan parades in extraordinary finery under the
blossoms of cherry trees accompanied by her child assistant, known as a
kamuro. The prints are almost identical; the series title, All the Beauties of the World, is the same as a Kunisada series of near identical subject
and composition from 1853. The beauty of the women, the beauty of the
prints and their lush colours belie the harsh truths of the trade in
young women and girls in the sex industry in the Yoshiwara district of
Edo.
It is hard or near impossible at this distance to understand the culture
and the economy of a place devoid of the same essentially Christian
principles of virtue, abstinence and sexual guilt that we have in the
west. Sexual gratification for both men and women were commonplace
activities, publicly enjoyed, bound nevertheless by rule and tradition
but quite at odds with our own feelings and laws. It was understood that
men and women would seek pleasure, according to their position, their
wealth and status. Many women were happy to oblige in the booming
business of prostitution, running brothels, ‘teahouses’, and agencies.
Sadly, many young women were not; having been sold into the trade by
greedy, uninterested or desperate families. The geisha houses were run
on strict lines and there was an equally strict hierarchy for the women.
Competition for rich clients was fierce, and professional women - so
desired that they were sometimes referred to as ‘castle-topplers’ -
displayed their wealth and status and became famous in the city; even
having prints made of them, as in this case, or else written about in
novellas and dramatised on stage. Having a kamuro as an accessory was of course an additional signifier of wealth.
A fine set of prints from the golden age of ukiyo-e… in a few years the
standards of printing would slide as block cutters retired, cheap garish
inks would change the aesthetic and the subject matter would coarsen as
the old myths and habits became outdated through technology and
revolution. This print is distinguished by the pictures of rabbits surrounded by storm clouds embroidered on the rich gown of the female.
Her assistant wears a matching rabbit gown.
The series title is written on the
wood-effect poem tile tied to the trunk of the tree. The print is full
size with margins; colour, impression and condition are all fine.
25.5 x 37 cm.
