Tsukasa and Other Courtesans of the Ogiya Watching the…

Katsushika Hokusai • 1799

Tsukasa and Other Courtesans of the Ogiya Watching the Autumn Moon…, 1799

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<em>Gomeirō</em> is another name for the fashionable teahouse Ōgi-ya (House of Fans) in the Yoshiwara district of Edo (present-day Tokyo). Two courtesans, each attended by a geisha and a <em>shinzō</em> (apprentice to a courtesan) view a full autumn moon as it rises over the surrounding paddy fields. The elegance of the women's flowing robes and the serenity of the evening with a full silver moon contribute to the poetic atmosphere of this <em>surimono</em>, a privately commissioned print usually accompanied by text—here, a poem, which reads:<br><br>What liveliness! Geisha, shinzō, and jesters <br>fill the room, all guests of the moon.