The 11 Artworks of Teisai Hokuba

An elegant beauty dressed in black has rushed to the snow-covered quay, where a boat is waiting, perhaps with her lover under its roof. Snow is everywhere—on the opposite side of the river, where a torii (gate to a Shinto shrine) is dimly visible; on houses; on the boat; and on the bank where she st...

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A young woman with a shamisen and teacup sits on the second floor of a restaurant or brothel. A libretto rests on her lap. The river view beyond the balcony, showing customers making their way to the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters, presents a peaceful springtime scene dotted with cherry blossoms. The r...

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This painting juxtaposes women depicted in colorful garments in the foreground planting rice with a landscape rendered primarily in sumi ink and light colors, with a small village nestled under pine trees, waiting for the dense rain clouds massing at the foot of Mt. Fuji to roll over it. Hokuba, an ...

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Fully dressed in layers of robes that spill out behind her, hair carefully coiffed and held in place with tortoiseshell combs and battens, a courtesan of the highest rank (oiran) is passing the time with her full retinue, enjoying a card game known as “One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets” (Hyakun...

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Travelers caught in a sudden downpour take shelter under the eaves of a gate at a large estate. Men and women from different walks of life—a flower vendor, a bookseller with a stack of books, assorted pilgrims, a lion-dance performer, and a warrior—huddle under the roof. A restless child, untroubled...

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