Bien Senjokō with a Shikibu Brush

Keisai Eisen, Bien Senjokō with a Shikibu Brush, ca. 1842, Polychrome woodblock print, 48 x 34.1cm.

This woodblock print by Keisai Eisen depicts a courtesan applying white cosmetic powder known as oshiroi to her face. The print is actually an advertisement for Bien Senjokō, a brand for oshiroi that was popular towards the end of the Edo period in Japan. Bien Senjokō’s use of woodblock prints for advertising their product contributed to their fame and popularity. There was a popular saying during the Edo period claiming that the whiteness of one’s skin hides seven flaws. Oshiroi was typically made from a white lead-based pigment which was mixed with water and applied to the face with a brush. For courtesans, white face makeup not only worked as a beauty product, but it also allowed their face to be more visible in low lighting when seeing clients. Most courtesans painted their lips red but this painting shows a popular makeup trend for lips called sasa-iro beni (bamboo grass red) which involved painting the upper lip red and the lower lip green. Red was a very valuable color since lip products were usually made of safflower, so using red in makeup gave the impression of being upper-class.