Courtesan Hanaōgi of the Ōgiya House
Kitagawa Utamaro
1793
- Medium
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
- Dimensions
- 14 1/2 × 9 5/8 in. (36.9 × 24.5 cm) (image, sheet, vertical ōban) 23 × 19 × 1 1/2 in. (58.42 × 48.26 × 3.81 cm) (outer frame)
- Genre
Tags
Japan
About
Hanaōgi (literally, “flower fan”) may well be the most frequently depicted woman in ukiyo-e. In fact, Hanaōgi was a pseudonym used by several generations of prostitutes from the Ōgiya house, one of the most exclusive brothels in the Yoshiwara. This print represents Hanaōgi IV, the highest-ranked prostitute in the Ōgiya from 1791 through 1797. The oblong cartouche contains a poem comparing the pale beauty of Hanaōgi by moonlight to a delicate moonflower. Blossoming moonflowers arranged on a flower-fan and Hanaōgi’s face after moonrise are so adorable that people never tire of seeing them and forget that autumn is coming.
