Courtesans Parodying Kanzan and Jittoku
At first glance, the scene appears to simply show two gorgeously garbed and coiffed courtesans in natural poses, one with a brush and paper and one holding a broom as she toys with a hairpin. But things are not always as they seem in such paintings of the pleasure quarters. The juxtaposition of two figures, one with a broom and the other with a handscroll, immediately calls to mind the Zen-painting theme of the madcap monks Kanzan and Jittoku (Chinese: Hanshan and Shide) who lived in Tang China. They had a reputation for rebelling against the conformity of social norms, and Kanzan was famous for his “Cold Mountain” poems.
Kinpūsha Toyomaro was a pupil of Kitagawa Utamaro (1753?–1806), who created paintings of female beauties and drew illustrations for popular novels.
Kinpūsha Toyomaro was a pupil of Kitagawa Utamaro (1753?–1806), who created paintings of female beauties and drew illustrations for popular novels.
Artwork Details
- 琴風舎豊麿筆 見立寒山拾得図
- Title: Courtesans Parodying Kanzan and Jittoku
- Artist: Kinpūsha Toyomaro (Japanese, active early 19th century)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: late 18th–early 19th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color and gold on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 48 1/4 × 22 1/4 in. (122.5 × 56.5 cm)
Overall with mounting: 85 1/4 × 27 13/16 in. (216.5 × 70.7 cm)
Overall with knobs: 85 1/4 × 30 5/16 in. (216.5 × 77 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.300.143
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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