The Twenty-four Hours at Shinbashi and Yanagibashi - The Shinbashi and Yanagibashi were famous pleasure quarters in Tokyo. The geisha within were fascinating to the public and numerous series were created detailing the lives they led. Composed of twenty-four prints, each design in this series depicts the activities of a different geisha at a specific hour of the day. It was commissioned and published from 1880 to 1881, with writer-journalist Takabatakae Ransen (1838 - 85) composing the text in the insets on each print. This captivating series by Yoshitoshi strongly cemented his place in the genre of bijin-ga, pictures of beautiful women.

Throughout the series are indicators of the increasing influence of Western cultures on Japan, from the Western-style newspapers mentioned to the very nature of the twenty-four-hour clock itself. This series is an excellent opportunity for those interested in Western culture influences on Japan and for Yoshitoshi collectors alike. Don't miss out on these incredible pieces!

10 p.m. - Geisha with Shamisen - Lovely portrait of a geisha playing the shamisen, smiling happily. She pauses for a moment with the instrument across her lap, holding her hand to her face as she looks over her shoulder. A cherry tree blooms against the dark night sky outside the verandah railing, the white blossoms delicately edged in pink. The inset above shows her customer, lying on his side with a glass of sake, blissfully enjoying the music as she performs. A great Yoshitoshi beauty subject with very fine line work in the hairstyle.

Translation of Inset Text:

When she performs
'Is it the Moon? Is it the Clouds?'
She steals away the heart
Of this green student,
More given to bellowing:
'Is it Go? Is it Etsu?'

He may hint about
Buying a dream of Konparu,
But though she treats him politely,
He needs more than good looks.
She laughs to think
That he can't get his hands on
The kind of flowers she keeps in her pillow box,
Like the cherry blossoms
From the tree named for
Fugen's elephant
In the garden.

Artist - Yoshitoshi (1839 - 1892)

Image Size - 13 1/8" x 8 5/8" + bottom margin as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Small loss and thinning at edges, repaired. Slight soiling and rubbing at edges, a few creases, slight ink bleeding. Please see photos for details.