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Tsutaya Jūzaburō: Master Publisher of Ukiyo-e

Moto, Maidservant of the Yoshidaya in Shinmachi, Osaka, and Mizue, a Geisha
Eishōsai Chōki (act. 1790s–early 1800s)
Moto, Maidservant of the Yoshidaya in Shinmachi, Osaka, and Mizue, a Geisha
ca. 1794
Publisher: Tsutaya Jūzaburō
Color woodcut with mica ground
37.3 x 24.8 cm
The Mann Collection, Highland Park, IL

This print is one of six published in the mid-1790s depicting teahouse waitresses conversing with geisha or courtesans from Osaka. Why Tsutaya Jūzaburō chose to publish a series of prints of women from the far-away city of Osaka is a mystery. It is possible that the prints were privately commissioned by a wealthy Osaka merchant because they lack the censorship seals required for prints published commercially in Edo after 1791. In this image, the maidservant Moto holds a container for ashes and smoldering charcoal (part of a smoking set used to light a pipe) for the geisha Mizue, who shields her hand from the heat of the charcoal.

Photo: Michael Tropea, Chicago