Kōitsu

In this delicately embossed and sumptuously embellished print, a seated woman cradles a moon lute (gekkin), her tasseled pick beside her. Such deluxe prints, known as surimono, were privately commissioned, and often sponsored by poetry groups. In this work, the nested-crane pattern repeated on the woman’s sash (obi) depicts the emblem of the Crane poetry group (Tsuru-gawa) led by Osaka poet Tsurunoya Osamaru (ca. 1751-1839). The three inscribed poems allude to songs accompanied by the moon lute, further revealing how text and image work together in these sophisticated prints.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7TcBMw98Fc