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Symbolism in the Portrayal of Women in Eighteenth-Century Ukiyo-E: the Courtesan Prints of Harunobu and Utamaro

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Symbolism in the Portrayal of Women in Eighteenth-Century Ukiyo-E: the Courtesan Prints of Harunobu and Utamaro Symbolism in the portrayal of women in eighteenth-century ukiyo-e: the courtesan prints of Harunobu and Utamaro Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Kolen, Amy Elizabeth Kraft, 1951- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 04/10/2021 07:17:09 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/348044 SYMBOLISM IN THE PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY UKIYO-E THE COURTESAN PRINTS OF HARUNOBU AND UTAMARO by Amy Elizabeth Kraft Kolen A Thesis Submitted' to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ART In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS WITH A MAJOR IN THE HISTORY OF ART In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 7 6 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR ■ This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of re­ quirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from, this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judg­ ment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholar­ ship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: ; APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: ROBERT M. QUINN ■ Date Professor of Art History PREFACE Suzuki Harunobu and Kitagawa Utamaro are two of the greatest ukiyo-e artists most closely associated with pictures of beautiful• women. Therefore, an investigation into.the meanings attached to prints which feature courtesans would naturally focus on work attributed to them. Though the artistic styles of•the men have been well documented, a systematic study into the rich iconographieal details which pervade each of their compositions is necessary for a more thorough comprehen­ sion of their art. In order to analyze and interpret the symbolism found in the prints of courtesans, books on history and folklore, as well as the lively popular prose fiction then in vogue, are of paramount importance. Novelists such as Ihara Saikaku (1642-1693), originator of the bourgeois literature, ukiyO-zOshi, and the succession of literary talents which followed, consistently looked to the erotic elements of life for in­ spiration. Hence, literary statements contribute much to the total effect of the prints. By relating written accounts of the period with . the pictorial records of the life Of a courtesan, the iconography of Utamaro and Harunobu is explained— iconography which in turn may be related to all ukiyo-e. I particularly wish to express my gratitude to Mr. Mark H. Sandler for his critical evaluation of the entire thesis and invaluable iv comments, as well as his patience throughout the writing of this manu­ script. Grateful acknowledgments are further extended to Dr. Robert M. Quinn who has most generously helped and given his advice. Thanks is . also due to Linza Jester for taking the photographs. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ..... ....... ............ vi ABSTRACT .............. x CHAPTER .1. THE PERIOD IN MICH HARUNOBU AND UTAMARO LIVED ........ 1 ... Introduction ................ 1 Political Conditions .......... ........... 1 Economic Conditions ................. 5 The Courtesan and Urban Life . .... , . 7 Ukiyo-e and Ukiyo-^zoshi ........... -.13 2. GENRE DEVELOPMENTS LEADING TO UKIYO-E AND COURTESAN PRINTS 16 ■ Genre Painting from the Late Heian through the Muromachi Periods (897-1573) . ............... 16 Momoyama Genre and Ukiyo-e ............. 19 The Development of Bijin-ga in Japanese Art ....... 25 Ukiyo-e Print Developments in Conjunction with Early ' Portrayals of Women Prior to Advent of Polychrome» 42 3. THE BIOGRAPHIES OF SUZUKI HARUNOBU AND KITAGAWA-UTAMARO . 58 Suzuki Harunobu . .............. 58 Kitagawa Utamaro ......... 68 4.. THE SIMBOLOGY OF SELECTED COURTESAN PRINTS BY HARUNOBU AND U T A M A R O ........... 86 The Mitate of Harunobu and Utamaro............. 86 Reality and Life of the Courtesan in Pleasure Quarters 171 Epilogue ............. 217 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ................... 219 V LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. "Maple Viewing at Mount Takao" (detail) "by Kano Hideyori (c. second half of 16th century ) .... ......... 23 2. "Kudara Kannon," A.D. 650 27 3. "Kichijoten" (detail), 8th century................. 27 4. "Lady Under a Tree" (detail), 8th c e n t u r y ............. 28 5. "Tale of Genji Picture Scroll" (detail), 12th century . 30 6. Matsuura Screens (detail), first half of 17th century . 34 7. "Tuna, " first half of 17th century .......... 39 8. "Kambun Beauty," 1661-1672 . ........ 41 9. "Strolling Courtesan" by Hishikawa Moronobu (d. 1694) . 48 10. "Street Scene in' Yoshiwara" by Okumura Masanobu (1691-1768) 51 11. "Courtesan Holding Poem Slip" attributed to Kaigetsudo Dohan (1700-1716 ) .............. 51 12. "Noted Beauty with Kamuro" by Nishikawa Sukenobu (1671-1751)............. 56 13. Kayoi Kbmachi by Suzuki Harunobu ................ .89 14. Omu Kbmachi by Suzuki Harunobu . ............. 92 15. "Shinohara of the Tsuruya" by Kitagawa Utamaro (17901s) . 95 16. "Takigawa of the Ogiya" (1790's) by Kitagawa Utamaro . 97 17. "Hanaogi as Komachi" (1798) by Kitagawa Utamaro . 104 18 "Kasugano and the Shinzo Uraba" (1793-1795) by Kitagawa Utamaro ......... ........... 108 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued Figure Page 19. "The Hollow Tree" "by Suzuki Harunohu............... 110 20. "Visit to a Shrine at the Hour of the Ox" by Suzuki Harunobu .................... ............. 113 21. "Little Peachling" by Suzuki Harunobu .......... 116 22. "Asazuma-bune" by Suzuki Harunobu . 120 23. "Utamaro as Moronao" in parody of scene from eleventh act of CMsingura ('17901 s) by Kitagawa Utamaro . ... 124 ■ 24. "Rival Lovers Squabbling" in parody.of scene from - \ . , eleventh act of Chhslhgura (1790's) by Kitagawa Utamaro . 127 25. "0-Karu and Yuranosuke." in parody of scene from seventh act of‘Chusihgura (.1790' s ) by Kitagawa Utamaro . 129 26. "Courtesans as Seven Sages of Bamboo Grove" by Suzuki Harunobu ............. 132 27. "Lovers on Kotatsu" by Suzuki Harunobu .......... 135 28. "Lovers on Veranda" by Kitagawa Utamaro .•. 137 \ 29. "Lovers as Han-shan and Shih-te" by Suzuki Harunobu . 139 30. "Courtesans as Han-shan and Shih-te" by Suzuki Harunobu . 142 31. "Courtesan on Ho-o" by Suzuki Harunobu .......... 145 32. "The Descending Geese of Koto Bridges" by Suzuki Harunobu 147 33. "Chinese Scholar and Courtesan" by Suzuki Harunobu .... 150 34. "Shoki Carrying Courtesan" by Suzuki Harunobu .’........ 152 35. "Courtesan as Daruma Crossing Sea" by Suzuki. Harunobu . 155 36. "Shaving Fukurokuju" by Suzuki Harunobu . 158 . 37. "Benten on Veranda of Brothel" by Kitagawa Utamaro . 161 38. "Courtesan on Carp" by Suzuki Harunobu .......... 165 viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued Figure Page 39. "Courtesan on Ox" by Suzuki Harunobu......... 168 40. "Courtesan as Ono no Tofu" by Suzuki Harunobu . .... 170 41. ’ "Courtesans in Show Window" (1804) by Kitagawa Utamaro . 172 42. "Courtesan Parading with Attendants" by Suzuki Harunobu . 176 43. "Fete in a Teahouse" (detail), (1788) by Kitagawa Utamaro 179 44. "Yoshiwara Age-joro and Lover" by Suzuki Harunobu . 181 45. "Lovers Watched by Maidservant" by Suzuki Harunobu .... 183 46. "Scene in Yoshiwara Brothel" by Utagawa Toyoharu (1735-1814)............. 185 47. "The Whisper" by Suzuki Harunobu ........... 187 48. "Courtesan and Kamuro Watching Geese" by Suzuki Harunobu . 187 49. "This Evening' s Moon" by 'Suzuki Harunobu............... 189 50. "Azamino of Onitsutaya Tattooing Gontaro of Isami-dori" (1790's) by Kitagawa Utamaro ............... 193 51. "Girl Holding Statuette of Ox" by Kitagawa Utamaro .... 196 52. "Hour of the Hare" (1795) by Kitagawa U t a m a r o .......... 200 53. "Hour of the Dragon" (1795) by Kitagawa U t a m a r o ........ 200 54. "Hour of the Serpent" (1795) by Kitagawa Utamaro ..... 201 55. "Hour of the Ox" (1795) by Kitagawa U t a m a r o ........... 203 56. ‘ Kawagishi (1790) by Kitagawa Utamaro ....... ...... 207 57. Teppo (1790) by Kitagawa Utamaro ............. 207 58. "Courtesan and Lover Using Serviettes" by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) . ........ 211 ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued Figure Page 59. "Lovers with Crumpled Tissues" (17501s) by unknown artist 211 60. "A Tipsy Courtesan" (1803-1804) "by Kitagawa Utamaro . 214 ABSTRACT Selected courtesan prints by Harunobu and Utamaro were assembled, and certain iconographical details identified and expounded upon— details which, due to their often allusive nature, would pass unnoticed . to one unfamiliar with the symbology of the Tokugawa period. Initially, an historical sketch of the period, covering politi­ cal and economic conditions was given. The tradition of genre painting, and an investigation into the development of pictures fo women.which grew out of that tradition, was discussed. A summary of wood-block print developments was reviewed, in conjunction with the various por­ trayals of women fashionable
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