Yoshikawa Kanpo, Maiko, Kimono Pattern

Yoshikawa Kanpo is a Kyoto-born ukiyo-e artist whose Shin Hanga (new prints) were enormously successful. His publisher, Sato Shotaro, was in constant competition with Tokyo-based Watanabe Shozaburo but never quite reached the same level of output. Aside from being an accomplished woodblock print artist, Yoshikawa was a notable scholar with an interest in traditional Edo culture such as kabuki theatre, music, and of course ukiyo-e. In his later life, he devoted himself wholly to writing about these topics and only designed prints on commission.

In this print, a maiko (apprentice geisha) gazes at the moon, which is invisible to the viewer. The colour of her kimono perfectly mimics the hues of the night sky.