Artwork
Koto from the series The Six Arts in Fashionable Guise
Koto from the series The Six Arts in Fashionable Guise is a print by the Romanticist artist Chôbunsai Eishi. It dates from 1794 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
You see a woman in a bright kimono playing a long, wooden koto across her lap.
This print swaps a Chinese scholar’s zither for a Japanese koto, blending old Chinese ideals with Edo-period style. The woman’s loose hair and patterned robe feel modern for the 1790s, not stuffy like a Confucian painting.
To see more prints like this, look up the subject: japan, edo period (1615–1868).
Overview
This print, titled Koto from the series The Six Arts in Fashionable Guise, depicts a woman playing a koto, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument.
Subject & Meaning
The image reinterprets the ancient Chinese Six Arts, substituting a Japanese entertainer for a Chinese scholar and the koto for the Chinese qin zither, symbolizing music.
Technique & Style
The print showcases a fashionable woman in a bright kimono, with loose hair and a patterned robe, embodying the style of the Edo period.
Context
The work blends traditional Chinese cultural ideals with the aesthetics of 1790s Japan, reflecting the cultural exchange and adaptation of the time.
Artist & collection
Artist
Chōbunsai Eishi (鳥文斎 栄之; 1756–1829) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist. His last name was Hosoda (細田). His first name was Tokitomi (時富). His common name was Taminosuke (民之丞) and later Yasaburo (弥三郎). Pupil of Kano Eisen'in…
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