Courtesan with a Koto ca. 1785; inscription early 19th century Painting by Utagawa Toyoharu ???? A high-ranking courtesan in a striking black surcoat with a peacock-feather motif over a multicolor undergarment with white and blue-tinged cherry blossoms is caught in a quiet moment as she stands before a koto (thirteen-stringed zither). Her obi sash is tied in front, as was the usual practice for courtesans—symbolic of the ability to undress without undue fuss for a as the founder of the Utagawa school, the artist Utagawa Toyoharu created both deluxe paintings, as seen here, an

Courtesan with a Koto ca. 1785; inscription early 19th century Painting by Utagawa Toyoharu ???? A high-ranking courtesan in a striking black surcoat with a peacock-feather motif over a multicolor undergarment with white and blue-tinged cherry blossoms is caught in a quiet moment as she stands before a koto (thirteen-stringed zither). Her obi sash is tied in front, as was the usual practice for courtesans—symbolic of the ability to undress without undue fuss for a as the founder of the Utagawa school, the artist Utagawa Toyoharu created both deluxe paintings, as seen here, and designs for prints. In the area of woodblock prints, he earned esteem for his mastery of Western-style perspective and for placing his figures in landscape settings (as seen in a dozen prints in The Met’s collection). By the 1780s, he appears to have turned his focus to paintings. This meticulously rendered com¬position on silk dates to the peak of Toyoharu’s career, in the poem to the left of the figure was inscribed by Shokusanjin, also known as ?ta Nanpo, a low-ranking samurai official who emerged as the foremost literary arbiter of his age. He was particularly known for his role in the poetry salon culture of the day, in which amateur poets created witty variations on traditional Japanese and Chinese verse, called ky?ka and ky?shi, respectively (see also from the Fishbein-Bender Collection). As this painting was created in the 1780s, we can surmise that Shokusanjin was asked by its owner to add his verse some years after the painting was made, a common practice of the time (see the translation and commentary on the poem below).. Courtesan with a Koto. Painting by Utagawa Toyoharu ???? (Japanese, 1735–1814). Japan. ca. 1785; inscription early 19th century. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Edo period (1615–1868). Paintings

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