Dozing Off, Year of the Rat: A Courtesan Drinking Water to Sober Up (Utata-ne no toshi--Yoizame no suisho)

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Dozing Off, Year of the Rat: A Courtesan Drinking Water to Sober Up (Utata-ne no toshi--Yoizame no suisho)

Artist Kikugawa Eizan (Japanese, 1787-1867)

Place of OriginJapan

Date1816

DimensionsSheet: 14 11/16 × 9 3/4 in. (37.3 × 24.8 cm)

Mediumwoodblock print

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineGift of an Anonymous Donor

Object number

1921.179

Not on View

Label TextIn this print, presumably one in a series of images of the five natural elements (fire, wood, earth, metal, and water), Kikugawa Eizan playfully illustrates the element of water with a beauty of the pleasure quarter awakening after a long night of drinking. Women of the pleasure quarter (the licensed brothel district of Edo, now Tokyo) were known as asobime—“women who play” or “party girls.” While gently mocking her overindulgence, Eizan has successfully rendered the courtesan’s seductive qualities in her disheveled hair and loosely tied robes. The exposed nape of the neck and her bare feet—both considered highly erotic—add to her allure. A raised pillow to accommodate her elaborate hairstyle is shown near her feet.Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, Strong Women Beautiful Men: Japanese Portrait Prints from the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio (October 14, 2005-January 2, 2006), pl. 14 (col.), p. 42.

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Strong Women Beautiful Men: Japanese Portrait Prints from the Toledo Museum of Art, Aug. 28-Oct. 31, 2010, pl. 14 (col.), p. 42.