several vignettes of men and women carousing; men rowing sleeping women on boats; women performing instruments and lounging inside buildings with barred windows; scenes inside tea houses and behind screens; ivory roller ends

Scenes from the Pleasure Quarters, first half 18th century

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This handscroll shows a number of scenes from the Yoshiwara, the designated red-light district in the capital Edo (now Tokyo). As the scroll is unrolled from right to left, the viewer gains an increasingly internal perspective on the rarefied world of the Yoshiwara’s brothels, from the initial boat ride toward to the district, to views of lower-class brothels, and finally to the interior spaces of an elite brothel in the final scene. Ōoka Michinobu was a disciple of the ukiyo-e painter Ōoka Shunboku (1680–1763) active primarily in the city of Ōsaka.

Details
Title
Scenes from the Pleasure Quarters
Artist Life
act. c. 1720-1740
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2015.79.108
Provenance
Baron Kuki, Director of the Tokyo National Museum in Meiji times and his son Kuki Saburo. Richard Lane until June, 1967 Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation
Catalogue Raisonne
Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 242
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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several vignettes of men and women carousing; men rowing sleeping women on boats; women performing instruments and lounging inside buildings with barred windows; scenes inside tea houses and behind screens; ivory roller ends