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Kawamata Tsunemasa, active about 1740-50
Courtesan Procession in the Snow
About late 1740s
Ink, color, and gold on paper
This scene depicts a courtesan and her
two kamuro (pre-adolescent attendants) walking through
the snow. A manservant, likely an employee of the brothel to
which the courtesan was indentured, shelters them with a large
parasol. The figure dressed in black is one of the courtesan's
clients. His costume, known as a zukin, was first used
by bunraku puppeteers to minimize their presence during
performances. Samurai later adopted this form of dress so that
they could patronize the brothel districts in relative anonymity.
The yanagi tree sets this scene at the entrance to Kyoto's
premier red-light district, Shimabara, which had a large willow
tree growing near its main entrance. The poem inscribed on this
painting makes further reference to this.
Yuki no te o
nigiru deguchi no
yanagi kana
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Fingers of snow
cling to the willow
near the exit
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Little is known of the artist, Kawamata
Tsunemasa, although there are approximately thirty surviving
paintings bearing his signature. He worked primarily in the Kyoto
area, and most of his work falls into the category of ukiyo-e
or "floating world pictures," a style that looked to
the brothel and entertainment districts of urban centers for
much of its subject matter. Tsunemasa's style and choice of subjects
for this painting reveals his familiarity with the work of print
designers active at the time.
Hood Museum of Art, purchased through
gifts from William Little, Robert Christy and by exchange; P.998.40
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