The Courtesan Emi of the Kyōki Brothel as Shizuka Gozen (Shizuka Kyōki Emi), from the series Costume Parade of the Shimanouchi District in Osaka (Naniwa Shimanouchi nerimono)

Jukōdō Yoshikuni 寿好堂よし国 Japanese

Not on view

A courtesan of the Kyōki Brothel of the Shimanouchi unofficial pleasure quarters in Osaka is dressed as Shizuka Gozen (1165–1211), a famous shirabyōshi (female court dancer) of the twelfth century who became the mistress of the warlord Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Shizuka featured prominently in the martial epic The Tale of the Heike as well as in countless theatrical renderings over the centuries. The costume of shirabyōshi entertainers, including a male courtier’s cap and ritual sword, was part of a provocative, convention-breaking cross-dressing of entertainers that came into popularity in the early medieval court and remained popular through early modern times in Japan at all levels of society.

The Courtesan Emi of the Kyōki Brothel as Shizuka Gozen (Shizuka Kyōki Emi), from the series Costume Parade of the Shimanouchi District in Osaka (Naniwa Shimanouchi nerimono), Jukōdō Yoshikuni 寿好堂よし国 (Japanese, active 1803–40?), Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; vertical ōban, Japan

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