1769–70
(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Color woodblock print
Sheet: 28.7 x 21.8 cm (11 5/16 x 8 9/16 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.1157
Courtesan Hatsuito of a brothel named Yamashiroya is likened to autumnal bush clover in this series comparing the qualities of courtesans to flowers. Hatsuito ties her servant’s obi sash while a gibbon emerges from a painting in the room’s viewing alcove to offer a love letter on which Hatsuito’s name appears. Gibbons reaching in vain for the moon’s reflection in water is a common metaphor for the deluded mind, and bush clover in moonlight is a popular seasonal motif. Here, the ideas are combined as the gibbon woos this unattainable beauty.
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