Chōbunsai Eishi 鳥文斎栄之

The daughter of Taira no Kiyomori using a mirror to draw her self-portrait to send to her mother (清盛息女の画　自像を写母に之に送図　Kiyomori sokujo no ga jizo o utsushi haha ni kore o okuru zu)

Maker

Chōbunsai Eishi 鳥文斎栄之 (1756-1829
worked in Japan)

Title

The daughter of Taira no Kiyomori using a mirror to draw her self-portrait to send to her mother (清盛息女の画　自像を写母に之に送図　Kiyomori sokujo no ga jizo o utsushi haha ni kore o okuru zu)

Period

Edo Period

Year

1790s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan

Dimensions

Vertical ōban: 37.2 x 24.8 cm (14 5/8 x 9 3/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: Eishi zu

Seals: Publisher's emblem | seal; censor's seal | kiwame

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

20.1135

Type

Exhibition History

Defying Boundaries
Women in Japanese Art
Apr 27, 2024 – Nov 04, 2024

Label copy

A seated young woman lifts her brush as she contemplates her self-portrait on the ground. The title of the print identifies her as the daughter of Taira no Kiyomori, a military general from the 1200s. According to history, Taira no Tokukō (1155–1214) became the adopted daughter of an emperor, the consort to his son, and the mother of an emperor. Her life was memorialized in literature and retold in theater. Illustrator Chōbunsai Eishi here portrays her as a courtesan from the 1800s.   

The Pleasure of Edo
Life in the Yoshiwara
Mar 24, 2000 – Jun 18, 2000

Label copy

This very beautiful but faded print depicts an upper-class woman dressed in elegant costume completing a painting. As in many courtesan prints, the purpose of the setting and costume are to elevate the person’s status through comparison with historical figures from Japan’s past.

Courtesans and Actors
Popular Culture in Edo Period Japan
Sep 20, 1996 – Dec 08, 1996

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Chōbunsai Eishi 鳥文斎栄之 (1756-1829
worked in Japan)
Nishimuraya Yohachi 西村屋与八 (1759-1869
Edo, Japan), publisher
The daughter of Taira no Kiyomori using a mirror to draw her self-portrait to send to her mother (清盛息女の画　自像を写母に之に送図　Kiyomori sokujo no ga jizo o utsushi haha ni kore o okuru zu), 1790s
Polychrome woodblock print (nishiki-e)
Vertical ōban: 37.2 x 24.8 cm (14 5/8 x 9 3/4 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 20.1135

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