Female Entertainer with Shamisen

Teisai Hokuba

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A young woman with a shamisen and teacup sits on the second floor of a restaurant or brothel. A libretto rests on her lap. The river view beyond the balcony, showing customers making their way to the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters, presents a peaceful springtime scene dotted with cherry blossoms. The round box in front of the woman, used to hold tea utensils, is painted with a Chinese-style landscape. Teisai Hokuba, an early and close disciple of Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), emulated his master’s manner of depicting beautiful women, elongating their faces and describing their robes with kinetic brushstrokes. As here, he often rendered background landscapes in a sketchier, atmospheric style.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art