Title : Moatside Prostitute

Artist : Kitagawa Utamaro

Date : 1794

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Source : Japanese Art Open Database
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Description : Date: Originally published by Ise-Mago, c.1794-95. Documentation: See page 94 of Volume 1, and page 146 of Volume 2, The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro, by Shugo Asano and Timothy Clark, Chiba City/London, 1995. Page 343 (#701) of Images From the Floating World, by Richard Lane, 1978, Dorsett 1982, among many others. This is one of Utamaro's most documented images. A prostitute from one of the small brothels known as Kashi-mise (moatside brothels), after their location in Yoshiwara next to the culvets on the east and west edges of the Quarter and in Fushimi-cho. The price for engaging one of these women could be 1 bu (one quarter of a gold ryo), but was more often 2 shu (half a bu, or 500-600 copper coins). There were even prostitutes who cost only half this figure. Here the woman is depicted using a toothpick, probably getting ready for her daytime stint in the brothel. The small bag of incense (kake-go or nioi-bukuro) hanging from her neck was used to disguise body odors. Signed Utamaro hitsu.

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