English: Woodblock print. Courtesan of Edo, in outer garment decorated with ivy leaves, cherry blossom, fans and tasselled braids. Signed, sealed, marked and inscribed.
This is the classic pose for pictures of beautiful women created by the artists of the Kaigetsudo- studio – the courtesan stands at a slight diagonal, facing out, and slightly lifts the skirts of her surcoat. The surcoat has a design of ivy leaves and cherry blossoms against large court fans, and there are decorative combs in her looped ‘Katsuyama’ hairstyle; all suggesting, as with other Kaigetsudo- beauties, that this is a courtesan of the highest tayu - or ko-shi ranking in Yoshiwara pleasure quarter in Edo. Her pose, holding her left hanging sleeve out in display, is classic, too, for the Kaigetsudo- school. Cho-yo-do- Anchi was particularly talented among the pupils of Kaigetsudo- Ando, and it is thought that he succeeded Ando as head of the studio. Anchi completed many hangingscroll paintings of beauties in the style of his teacher and eight grand monochrome prints by him such as this one are known in the large vertical (o - o - ban) format. He also designed more than ten illustrated haiku anthologies and is known to have been active as a poet. No other record survives of his biography, however. Of his eight prints, six (including this one) were issued by the publisher Maruya of Higashi-yokocho-, Odenma 2-cho-me, and it is clear that artist and publisher enjoyed a special relationship. The Maruya publishing mark has not been found on any works other than these prints by Anchi. [AS]