The Courtesan on PaThe Courtesan Toji of the Ogiya with Her Attendants Satoji and Uraji, from the series "Models for Fashion: New Designs as Fresh as Young Leaves (Hinagata wakana no hatsu moyo)",rade in the Yoshiwara Accompanied by her Kamuro and by the oiran Satoji and Uraji 1784

Torii Kiyonaga made this polychrome woodblock print around 1780, as part of a series called "Models for Fashion." It depicts Toji, a celebrated courtesan of the Ogiya house in the Yoshiwara district, accompanied by her attendants. Prints like these played a crucial role in shaping the social and cultural landscape of Edo-period Japan. Kiyonaga, as part of the Torii school of artists, was deeply involved in the commercial theater and pleasure districts. His prints acted as advertisements, celebrity endorsements, and fashion plates, all rolled into one. The Yoshiwara itself was an institution, a government-sanctioned pleasure district with its own rules and hierarchies. These prints offered a window into that world, but also presented idealized images of female beauty and refined taste. To truly understand this artwork, we need to delve into the social history of the Yoshiwara, the economics of the print market, and the visual language of Edo-period fashion. Only then can we appreciate the complex interplay of art, commerce, and social life that this image represents.