Yoshitoshi - Looking Relaxed

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Wonderful print from the series "Fuzoku Sanjuniso" (Thirty-two Customs and Manners of Women) Looking Relaxed: The appearance of a Kyoto geisha of the Kansei era (1789 - 1801). She is lying on her elbow and relaxed making origami-cranes and with a bowl of snacks.

A print from Yoshitoshi’s series ‘Thirty-Two Aspects of Customs and Manners’ which chronologically depicts different women from the Kansei era (1789-1801) to the Meiji era (1860-1912). The Kansei era was marked by reactionary reforms put in place to rectify the perceived excesses of the Japanese shogunate, limiting trade with other nations by enforcing a stricter closed door policy. In contrast, the Meiji era saw Japan opening up to the West and even adopting some of its culture and politics. Yoshitoshi interestingly depicts this dramatically eventful history through women of various background and sentiment.

Date: 1912 - Reprint

Condition: Very good color and impression, embossing on collar, not backed.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Thirty-Two_Aspects_of_Customs_and_Manners