The Courtesan Konosumi, from the series “Beauties of the Southern Quarter” (Nangoku bijin awase)

Kitagawa Utamaro, The Courtesan Konosumi, “Beauties of the Southern Quarter”(Nangoku bijin awase), ca. 1793–94, woodblock print, ink and color on paper, 36.8 x 23.7 cm

This woodblock print comes from Kitagawa Utamaro’s series “Beauties of the Southern Quarter” (Nangoku bijin awase) and centers its primary focus on the courtesan Konosumi (此すミ). Depicted here is a glamorous portrait of Konosumi, who is adorn in silk and satin and embellished in gold pins. One can deduce from her ornate hair accessories, layered kimono, and decorative fan that she is of the elevated echelon within the social hierarchy of the pleasure quarters. In Utamaro’s work, Konosumi wears white face powder and rouge-stained lips, aligning herself with the refined elegance of minimalist makeup etiquette. Such a romanticized illustration suggests that the highly coveted courtesan embodies the ideal feminine beauty of Edo Japan––in fact, she is the object of projected idealizations. Furthermore, while fondling her kimono suggestively, the fan she clutches in her right hand includes a poem by Magao, which alludes to her seductive and sexual prowess.