Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Beauty with Shamisen at Ryogoku Bridge

Size: 39.0cm by 26.0cm (15.35 in by 10.24 in) | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [L] ?

Designer: Keisai Eisen

Era: Post-war | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: ¥ 12,000$ 86.00£ 64.25€ 74.25 [Item has been sold]

Description: This print was designed by Keisai Eisen, an artist particularly renowned for his bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) and nishiki-e (multi-colored woodblock prints).

In this scene, a young beauty stands on a terrace holding a shamisen, the traditional three-stringed instrument. The setting appears to be the upper floor of a teahouse: an iron kettle rests on the floor nearby, accompanied by trays with food and cups. She gazes toward the lively scene at Ryogoku Bridge in the background. The bridge is crowded with people, suggesting that an important event is taking place—perhaps a fireworks festival. At first glance, the small white flecks in the sky resemble falling snow, but they may instead represent the remnants of fireworks illuminating the night.

A highlight of this design is the color palette and the decorative patterns in the foreground, which immediately catch the eye. The dominant shades of orange, blue, black, and white in the kimono and the surrounding tea utensils allow the geometric and floral motifs to stand out, creating a harmonious and balanced composition with a striking sense of modernity.

This version is a reproduction published by Ishu Kanko-kai and produced by Kajikawa Kobo probably in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Carver: Kuga Denkichi / Printer: Watanabe Yoshiaki.

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