Courtesan and Two Attendants on New Year's Day

Isoda Koryūsai

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A young courtesan dressed in spring finery decorated with plum blossoms and fan motifs promenades with two of her girl attendants called kamuro, bedecked in matching garments. The obi sash tied in front indicates that she is a courtesan of the pleasure quarters since such knots were easier to unravel than those tied behind, as was the custom for most women. The temporary stands of pine boughs and bamboo stalks were set up along Nakanochō, the main thoroughfare of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters in Edo (present-day Tokyo). The artist Isoda Koryūsai was born into a warrior-class family but became a masterless samurai (rōnin) after the death of the head of his clan. He moved to Edo where he first made prints on samurai themes but soon shifted to the more salable theme of beautiful women. Occasionally he created deluxe paintings for a wealthier clientele.

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