Floating Worlds

Her Brush: Japanese Women Artists from the Fong-Johnstone Collection Online Exhibition Guide

Starting in the Tokugawa period (or Edo period, 1615–1868), the Floating World (ukiyo) referred to the state-sanctioned pleasure quarters, or urban entertainment districts, which catered to male patrons who frequented the teahouses, brothels, and theaters. The term alludes to the hedonistic and ephemeral nature of this realm.

As was the case when becoming a nun, entering this sphere—whether as a musical performer (geisha), an actor, or a sex worker—meant leaving behind one’s name and constructing a new persona. Entertainers often cycled through several stage names, inventing and reinventing themselves time and again.

Being well-versed in The Three Perfections (painting, poetry, and calligraphy) was a coveted trait in women of the Floating World, adding to their allure. Some, however, transcended the strict confines of the pleasure quarters (sometimes even undoing their indentured servitude), becoming important artists and leaving their lasting mark.

Eternal art in a floating world.

Long, horizontal sheet of beige paper speckled with gold inscribed with many short lines of cursive calligraphy at alternating heights. Calligraphy is fluid with a variety of line thicknesses.

Ōhashi-dayū (The Tayū Ōhashi) 大橋太夫
Active 1700s
Two Poems
Mid–1700s
Ink on paper
Gift of Drs. John Fong and Colin Johnstone, 2018.183

Ōhashi is the stage name of Ritsu, born to a wealthy samurai family and trained in various arts as a child. When her family lost their fortune, they sold her to a brothel. With her talent and dazzling looks, she quickly rose to the highest rank of tayū (Grand Courtesan) in Kyoto’s Shimabara pleasure quarter. Although highly admired, she remained beholden to her clients and patrons.

Her poems here read:

Last night’s affair,
this morning’s parting. Which will be
the seed of love?

So you say, though…

The dawn has come.
My hands wring out my sleeves, making the pools
overflow with my tears.

Dozens of vertical, decorated paper slips with calligraphy are mounted haphazardly on faux folding screen made of transparent plexiglass. Their reflection in the mirror-like platform, enhanced by the dark room, creates a sense of floating.

Various artists
Poem Slips (tanzaku)
1700–1900s
Paper with pigment, gold, silver, and ink
Gift of Drs. John Fong and Colin Johnstone, 2018.181.4-44

These poetry slips (tanzaku) were written by women and men occupying different social realms, including pleasure quarters, aristocracy, and monastic orders. Written in private or in gatherings, tanzaku were saved, exchanged, and sometimes discarded. These floating tanzaku therefore existed in a space between art and ephemera.

This display is a reinterpretation of the traditional mounting in a scattered arrangement (chirashigaki). A modern example bears the poetry of Takabatake Shikibu, a literati artist whose works appear in the next section.

Seven decorated vertical paper slips with calligraphy mounted on a two-paneled folding screen at alternating heights.
Takabatake Shikibu 高畠式部 (1785–1881), Seven Waka Poems, 1800s. Ink on decorated paper. Gift of Drs. John Fong and Colin Johnstone, 2018.226.

The Star Festival—
Off to hear good poetry
at lady Kaji’s teahouse.

Takarai Kikaku

七夕や
良き歌聞きに
梶が茶屋

宝井其角
Detail of black and white block print depicting overhead view of a simple teahouse with benches and a thatched roof. Groups of people sit and converse around the scene.

Illustration by Mikuma Katen 三熊思孝, Matsuya Teahouse, from the Kinsei Kijin 近世畸伝 woodblock edition of 1788. Courtesy DIAL.num - Vitrine numérique des bibliothèques de l'UCL. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

THREE WOMEN OF GION 祇園三女 (1600s–1700s)

Kaji, Yuri, and Machi were owners of a famous teahouse in Gion called Matsuya where many of Kyoto’s lovers of art and poetry would meet. Together, these three remarkable women formed a matriarchal artistic lineage.

Kaji of Gion was a gifted poet-calligrapher and the first owner of the Matsuya teahouse. She later adopted Yuri and trained her in poetry as well.

Yuri of Gion established herself as a renowned calligrapher and painter in her own right.

Machi of Gion, Yuri’s daughter, is best known by her later name, Tokuyama (Ike) Gyokuran, as a formidable literati painter, calligrapher, and poet. Her work is shown in the following section, dedicated to literati circles.

Her Brush: Japanese Women Artists from the Fong-Johnstone Collection is organized by the Denver Art Museum and made possible through the generous gift of the John Fong and Colin Johnstone collection. Support is provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the Blakemore Foundation, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS Colorado.