Beautiful condition [Eishosai Choki] print, Nishiki-e, Ukiyo-e, large format, Izutsuya Nakai Kan, Geisha Afukiya Fuseya

Expressing the beautiful traditional Japanese aesthetic by Eisai Choki ✨

- Artist: Eisai Choki
- Artwork Title: Izutsuya Nakai Kan, Geisha Afukiya Fuseya
- Frame Material: Wood

[Size] (Laid flat)
Height: Approx. 62cm
Width: Approx. 47cm
Depth: Approx. 2cm

This is a multi-colored ukiyo-e woodblock print that developed from the mid-Edo period onwards. Characterized by its vibrant colors, it was widely popular among common people, often depicting the customs and trends of the time, as well as actors and sumo wrestlers ✨

Eisai Choki (栄松斎長喜) was a unique ukiyo-e artist who developed his own style by depicting beautiful women with gentle and approachable expressions during the Kansei era (1789-1801), when the bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) of Kitagawa Utamaro and Chobunsai Eishi were popular. Around Kansei 7 (1795), he changed his name to Koki (子興), and in Kyowa 1 (1801), he returned to the name Choki (長喜). Most of his nishiki-e (brocade prints) were created during the Kansei period under the name Choki. While he is also known for his works depicting Osaka tayu (high-ranking courtesans) and geisha, most of these nishiki-e, including those, were published by Edo publishers Tsutaya Juzaburo and Tsuruya Kiheiemon.
This piece is one print from a mica-printed series of three-quarter length portraits combining Osaka geisha and nakai (waitresses). It well depicts the characteristics of Kansai customs, such as the roundly styled hair and the oshidori hairstyle of geisha Fuseya, where a bridge is placed over a topknot tied in the Kansai style. The elongated, soft expression also seems to reflect the beauty of the Kansai region ✨

Thank you for viewing ✨