In the Yoshiwara District

Isoda Koryūsai

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The figures in this print are separated by a difference in scale as well as by physical barriers. The large figure in the foreground is a courtesan passing through the curtained door of a public bathhouse. Our attention, however, is drawn to the smaller-scale woman in the background who is framed within a latticed window. She is in a state of undress, but she is so eager to see who is in the entrance corridor that she has only half-covered herself with a cloth. She steadies herself with a hand on the window as she peers out. Traditionally, a bathing woman is an object of voyeurism. Koryūsai adds a twist to the theme by turning her into an observer as well.

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