Utai no Shisho

Numata Gessai 沼田月斎 (1787-1864) · late 18th-early 19th century

Fantasy and reality meet in the many images of courtesans and kabuki actors in the “floating world” (ukiyo) of Edo and other urban centers. Prints for the mass market and paintings for more privileged owners celebrated the beauty and artistic abilities of high-class courtesans and geisha, who were often skilled in poetry, calligraphy, music, and dance. Here, a geisha holds a shamisen, a three-stringed musical instrument, as a child looks on.