The Moon Above a Headland (Tsuki no misaki), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

No. 82 (fall section) on the title page for the series. Second-floor views were popular in the Shinagawa pleasure district. Here we look from the hallway through an entertainment parlor to a view of the harbor beyond. Outside the window, the sea shines white in the moon’s light, changing color gradually with the sky. The shadow of a courtesan is cast on the papered shoji, or sliding door, to the left. Telltale signs of a seated geisha appear behind the shoji to the right; her shamisen handle and black lacquered shamisen case peek out as well. Miscellaneous objects scattered about the parlor floor, like the fan, hand cloth, and tobacco smoking objects, or left in the hallway, like the sake pouring vessels and bowl, capture a sense of the silence after the party is over.