Keisai Eisen (渓斎英泉) (artist 1790 – 1848)
Tokojirō and Urazato the courtesan from 時次郎浦里 明烏夢の泡雪 (Tokojirō and Urazato dream of a light snow)
ca 1815
9.75 in x 14.375 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Keisai Eisen ga
渓斎英泉画
Publisher: Moriya Jihei (Marks 353 - seal 01-079)
Censor's seal
National Museum of Japanese History
Lyon Collection - Toyokuni III diptych of the same couple The text according to Ritsumeikan University and/or the National Museum of Japanese History is:
［］寄て立を と気つゐて あんまりむこひなさけなや 今宵はなれてこなさんのまめていさんす其身なら また逢ふことのあろふかと たのし［］しのふと かゝこさんした 身をいかなるつよひ女子しやとて とふしではなしや［］
A possible translation provided by that/those sites is:
"I realized that I was going to stand next to you, but I'm not too young. Tonight I'm looking forward to seeing you again. What kind of strong girl would you like to be?"
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'Google translate' gives a considerably different translation:
"I'm worried that I'm going to stand next to you, and I'm not too hungry. Tonight, I'm going to meet my friend, and I'm going to have fun with the possibility that we'll meet again. What kind of strong woman would you like to be with such a young body?"
We believe that the correct translation may lie somewhere between these two versions, but it would take the most skilled scholar to work out the differences. (JSV)
Moriya Jihei (森屋治兵衛) (publisher)
beautiful women (bijin-ga - 美人画) (genre)
actor prints (yakusha-e - 役者絵) (genre)