Ryûryûkyo Shinsai

Courtesan Standing by a Kimono on a Rack

Japan, Japan, 1809

Inscriptions

  • stamped on verso with mark of Louis Gonse

Provenance

…; Louis Gonse (1846-1921), Parijs (collector`s mark);...; purchased from the dealer Kunsthandel Huys den Esch, Dodewaard, by J.H.W. Goslings (1943-2011), Epse, near Deventer, 1997;1Coll. cat. Goslings 2004, p. 13, cat. no. 330 by whom donated to the museum, 1999

ObjectNumber: RP-P-1999-251

Credit line: Gift of J.H.W. Goslings, Epse

Context

For other designs of this series, see:
Jurojin: Woman holding book over her head, a kneeling boy offers a scroll2Narazaki, Muneshige (ed.), Hizo //Ukiyoe = ukiyoe// taikan, vol. 8. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1989, p. 77.
Daikoku, Woman adjusting a boy's cap3Narazaki, Muneshige (ed.), Hizo //Ukiyoe = ukiyoe// taikan, vol. 8. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1989, p. 77.
Fukurokuju: Woman tying a sash, obi, on a boy dressed in courtly robes4Narazaki, Muneshige (ed.), Hizo //Ukiyoe = ukiyoe// taikan, vol. 8. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1989, p. 77.
Ebisu: Seated woman, a boy behind her holding a toy bream on a bamboo pole5Narazaki, Muneshige (ed.), Hizo //Ukiyoe = ukiyoe// taikan, vol. 8. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1989, p. 77.
Hotei, Woman kneels by a boy holding a fan.6Narazaki, Muneshige (ed.), Hizo //Ukiyoe = ukiyoe// taikan, vol. 8. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1989, p. 77.

The artist

Biography

Ryuryukyo Shinsai (n.d., but often given as 1764?-1820; the latter date is definitely incorrect as his last known designs were issued in 1825) is said to have first been follower of Tawaraya Sori, and later of Katsushika Hokusai, who gave him the art-name Shinsai in 1800. His personal name was Masayuki. He was one of the most prolific designers of surimono in the early 19th century and thoroughly explored the possibilities of issuing works in titled series.

Entry

A courtesan standing by a clothes rack with an over-kimono draped on it. The kimono with a decoration of a lute, biwa, and a tree.

From the series The Seven Gods of Good Fortune, Shichifukujin.

The biwa in the design is a reference to the Goddess Benzaiten, one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, whose usual attribute is the lute.

One poem by Nanpatei Sayokaze.
The poem refers to the 'Year of the Snake', Tsuchinoto no mi.

The Seven Gods of Fortune are a common theme for surimono series, mostly alluding to the gods by means of their attributes and frequently depicting women at various occupations. For more on the Seven Gods of Good Fortune or Luck, the Shichifukujin, see RP-P-1962-331.
The emblem of the Kasumiren precedes the series-title, hand-stamped at top right.

Issued by the Kasumiren
Signature reading: Shinsai ga

Literature

M. Forrer, Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Leiden 2013, no. 164

Citation

M. Forrer, 2013, 'Ryûryûkyo Shinsai, Courtesan Standing by a Kimono on a Rack, Japan, 1809', in Surimono from the Goslings Collection in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.359184

(accessed 30 June 2025 07:37:44).

Footnotes

  • 1Coll. cat. Goslings 2004, p. 13, cat. no. 330
  • 2Narazaki, Muneshige (ed.), Hizo //Ukiyoe = ukiyoe// taikan, vol. 8. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1989, p. 77.
  • 3Narazaki, Muneshige (ed.), Hizo //Ukiyoe = ukiyoe// taikan, vol. 8. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1989, p. 77.
  • 4Narazaki, Muneshige (ed.), Hizo //Ukiyoe = ukiyoe// taikan, vol. 8. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1989, p. 77.
  • 5Narazaki, Muneshige (ed.), Hizo //Ukiyoe = ukiyoe// taikan, vol. 8. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1989, p. 77.
  • 6Narazaki, Muneshige (ed.), Hizo //Ukiyoe = ukiyoe// taikan, vol. 8. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1989, p. 77.