Courtesan and her Attendant under a Cherry Tree

Utagawa Toyoharu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A high-ranking courtesan, bedecked in a striking black surcoat decorated with a peacock feather motif, pauses in her stroll outside during the peak of cherry blossom season. She is accompanied by a girl attendant (kamuro) adorned in a coordinated set of garments and obi. The scene is set in the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters, where the custom of temporarily planting a row of cherry trees down the middle of Nakanochō, the central boulevard of the district, had arisen by the mid-eighteenth century. Courtesans and other brothel employees enjoyed a day’s holiday, a “Flower-Viewing Day,” in the third month. On this day, courtesans could picnic in the Ueno Hills or in the Sensōji Temple in Asakusa, on Mukōjima, across the Sumida River—locations that were famous for their cherry trees. Recognized as the founder of the Utagawa school, Utagawa Toyoharu both created paintings and designed prints. He earned esteem for his mastery of “Western-style perspective” and for placing figures in landscapes.

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