Description
Elegant original woodblock print of vertical large oban (大判) format produced in February 1864 by the publisher Fujiokaya Keijiro (藤岡屋慶次郎), owner of Shorindo (松林堂), and by the carver Katada Chojiro (片田長次郎). The work, made by the artist Utagawa Kunisada II (二代目歌川国貞), depicts the courtesan Tsuyasumi (艶壽美) of the house of pleasure Kukimanji (久喜万字) in the Shin Yoshiwara (新吉原) district.
The woman is presented in the company of her young kamuro (禿) assistant under the flowering branches of a cherry tree and her kimono (着物) is magnificently decorated with a dragon made, as deducible from the signature on the left side of the dress, by Utagawa Kunihisa II (二代目歌川国久), another pupil, as well as Kunisada II, of the famous master Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞).
The precious print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging, including the presence of some tiny holes, is in good condition.
