Yotsu of the Matsukiyo Brothel Performing as a Shirabyōshi, from the series Sacred Dances in Shinmachi

Yotsu of the Matsukiyo Brothel Performing as a Shirabyōshi, from the series Sacred Dances in Shinmachi

Gochōtei Sadahiro 五蝶亭貞広

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Gochōtei (or Utagawa Sadahiro I) studied with Utagawa Kunisada in Edo, though by around 1830 was working in Osaka. Though he specialized in Kabuki prints, here he has created an image of a Shinmachi courtesan who is dressed in the costume of a shirabyōshi, female performers who dressed in male courtier’s costume. The title suggests that it was meant to parody a sacred dance performed at the dedication of a Shinto shrine.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Yotsu of the Matsukiyo Brothel Performing as a Shirabyōshi, from the series Sacred Dances in ShinmachiYotsu of the Matsukiyo Brothel Performing as a Shirabyōshi, from the series Sacred Dances in ShinmachiYotsu of the Matsukiyo Brothel Performing as a Shirabyōshi, from the series Sacred Dances in ShinmachiYotsu of the Matsukiyo Brothel Performing as a Shirabyōshi, from the series Sacred Dances in ShinmachiYotsu of the Matsukiyo Brothel Performing as a Shirabyōshi, from the series Sacred Dances in Shinmachi

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.