“Ei of the Nakamoriken Brothel, who was a favorite of Yamamura Goto, as Lady Huayang (Kayō Fujin Yamamura Goto gonomi Nakamoriken Ei),” from the series Costume Parade of the Shimanouchi District in Osaka (Naniwa Shimanouchi nerimono)

“Ei of the Nakamoriken Brothel, who was a favorite of Yamamura Goto, as Lady Huayang (Kayō Fujin Yamamura Goto gonomi Nakamoriken Ei),” from the series Costume Parade of the Shimanouchi District in Osaka (Naniwa Shimanouchi nerimono)

Ryūsai Shigeharu 柳斎重春

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The courtesan Ei of the Nakamoriken Brothel in the Shimanouchi pleasure quarters is shown holding a stem of peonies as she participates in a costume parade dressed as Lady Huayang, the concubine of the first Qin emperor of ancient China. Both figures appear as fictional characters in the Noh play The Kan’yō Palace (Kan’yōkyū). As related in the play, the emperor was about to be attacked by a pair of would-be assassins but pleaded with them to have one last chance to hear his favorite concubine Huayang (Japanese: Kayō) play the koto. They acceded to his request, but were lulled to sleep by the soothing koto music, enabling the emperor to kill both attackers. A companion print, known from other collections, shows the courtesan Konami participating in the parade cross-dressed as the Chinese emperor.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

“Ei of the Nakamoriken Brothel, who was a favorite of Yamamura Goto, as Lady Huayang (Kayō Fujin Yamamura Goto gonomi Nakamoriken Ei),” from the series Costume Parade of the Shimanouchi District in Osaka (Naniwa Shimanouchi nerimono)“Ei of the Nakamoriken Brothel, who was a favorite of Yamamura Goto, as Lady Huayang (Kayō Fujin Yamamura Goto gonomi Nakamoriken Ei),” from the series Costume Parade of the Shimanouchi District in Osaka (Naniwa Shimanouchi nerimono)“Ei of the Nakamoriken Brothel, who was a favorite of Yamamura Goto, as Lady Huayang (Kayō Fujin Yamamura Goto gonomi Nakamoriken Ei),” from the series Costume Parade of the Shimanouchi District in Osaka (Naniwa Shimanouchi nerimono)“Ei of the Nakamoriken Brothel, who was a favorite of Yamamura Goto, as Lady Huayang (Kayō Fujin Yamamura Goto gonomi Nakamoriken Ei),” from the series Costume Parade of the Shimanouchi District in Osaka (Naniwa Shimanouchi nerimono)“Ei of the Nakamoriken Brothel, who was a favorite of Yamamura Goto, as Lady Huayang (Kayō Fujin Yamamura Goto gonomi Nakamoriken Ei),” from the series Costume Parade of the Shimanouchi District in Osaka (Naniwa Shimanouchi nerimono)

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.