Search
Skip to main content
The Willow Tree at the Gate of the Shimabara Pleasure Quarter, from the series Famous Places of Kyoto
The Willow Tree at the Gate of the Shimabara Pleasure Quarter, from the series Famous Places of Kyoto

The Willow Tree at the Gate of the Shimabara Pleasure Quarter, from the series Famous Places of Kyoto

Artist/Maker (Japanese, 1797–1858)
Publisher
Date1834
MediumColor woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
DimensionsHorizontal ōban; overall: 9 5/8 × 14 1/2 in. (24.5 × 36.8 cm)
Credit LineMary A. Ainsworth Bequest
PortfolioFamous Places of Kyoto (Kyoto Meisho no uchi)
Object number1950.1046
Status
Not on view
More Information
Famous Places of Kyoto was a series comprising only ten prints. This one represents Shimabara, the only licensed brothel quarter in Kyoto. A high-ranking courtesan and her kamuro assistants pause near the willow tree beside the main gate. Behind them, a pyramid of buckets used to fight fires is piled on top of a large basin marked with the character for water. The courtesan and her entourage look back at an inebriated, fan-waving man being ushered out by two people who help him stay upright. Upstairs, guests and geiko, or geisha-in-training, peer out to see the commotion.
Exhibition History
Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection
  • Chiba City Museum of Art, Chiba, Japan (April 13, 2019 - May 25, 2019 )
  • Shizuoka City Museum of Art, Shizuoka, Japan (June 8, 2019 - July 28, 2019 )
  • Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Osaka, Japan (August 10, 2019 - September 29, 2019 )
Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (January 14, 2020 - December 6, 2020 )
Collections
  • Asian
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator. Noticed a mistake? Have some extra information about this object? Please contact us.