Standing Courtesan

Sadanobu I came from Osaka and was a traditional woodblock (ukiyo-e) designer. He created designs of landscapes, flowers and birds, actors and a series of Hiroshige miniature copies.

Here we see a beautifully robed woman posed in front of a tree and fence gazing to the left with the suggestion of waiting for someone or watching someone in the distance.

Here stands a courtesan, resplendent in her elaborate kimono, standing by a fence. This print is known as a nerimono-e, or a picture of the annual costume parades in Osaka. In these parades, waitresses, geisha, and courtesans dressed in elaborate costumes and put on skits portraying figures from contemporary society, theatre, history, and legend. Sometimes these women were accompanied by decorative floats carrying musicians and dancers.

Sadanobu is the sole artist in this exhibition who worked out of Osaka.
When Osaka artists made a bijin print, it was almost always in the form of a nerimono-e.