Beauty of the Yoshiwara with Apprentice in Moonlight

Teisai Hokuba

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Among the most splendid sights and sounds of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters was that of an elaborately dressed courtesan in procession with her entourage and the clattering cadence of their footsteps in high, lacquered clogs. This beauty's sumptuous, lavender-colored outer garment featuring three-dimensional wisteria blossoms is worn over layered robes, all rendered in extraordinary detail, including an elaborate obi decorated with a lion and peonies in gold. Her coiffeur boasts an assortment of tortoiseshell combs and long hair ornaments. Only the full moon, a pale orb rendered against faint washes of ink, and two geese in flight in the upper section of the scroll suggest an outdoor evening setting. The artist Teisai Hokuba, a principal student of Katsushika Hokusai, produced many surimono prints and was highly skilled in the minute depiction of details.

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