Lot 136: Kitagawa Fujimaro (1790-1850) Early/mid 19th century

Early/mid 19th century
Kakejiku, in ink, colour and gold on silk, depicting a geisha pulling the hem of her kimono away from her pet chin dog as it plays in the skirts of her robes, signed Bunsei Kinoe Saru [...] shoka Shiho rojin Fujimaro (early Summer in the year of the Monkey, Bunsei era, Shiho, an old man Fujimaro) with two seals Shiho and Fujimaro; with wood storage box. 106cm x 37cm (41¾in x 14½in). (2).

????? ????? ?? ???? 19????/??

Nothing is known of Fujimaro's life, and it is only based on the evidence of his style and the characters of his name, that he is thought to be a late pupil of Kitagawa Utamaro.

The artist's best-known work depicting Yujyo risshi-zu (a painting of a standing courtesan) is in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum; and another four Kakejiku depicting beauties in the four seasons (Bijin shuka shuto zu) are in the collection of the Ota Memorial Museum of Art, Tokyo. For other bijin-ga painted on kakejiku by Fujimaro, see Kobayashi Tadashi, Otani Collection nikuhitsu ukiyo-e (Ukiyo-e painting from the Otani collection), p88, pl.nos.67 and 68.

The many ukiyo-e paintings showing a cat or dog playing in the skirts of a woman's robes are parodies of the famous scene in the 'Young Herbs: Part one' (wakana jo) chapter of Tales of Genji, in which the pet belonging to Onna Sannomiya (the Third Princess) escapes out on the balcony, and Kashiwagi, who is playing court football outside, catches a glimpse of the princess through the gap in the curtain and falls in love with her.