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Posted 4 years ago
steviej
(38 items)
This is a beautiful scroll about 6 ft long. I am not sure if it is Japanese or Chinese. I also do not know the artist mark. The artist is a mystery me. If there is any info about this piece it would be appreciated.
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I'm far from knowledgeable about Asian art, but this looks Japanese to me - mainly because the woman is wearing a kimono (the set of the collar at the neck is distinctive). I don't know the hairstyle but perhaps the figure is of a courtesan. This is just a guess, but I think this image is allegorical. Her outer kimono depicts the torments of the [Buddhist] hell realm. But she's also holding a hossu, which is a horsehair whisk that Zen monks would use to gently shoo away flies (and is also a symbol of rejecting desire).
It's an intriguing scroll, and I hope someone with in-depth knowledge comes along to help you out!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hossu
Love this rare Japanese hand painted scroll, the topic could be a woman in the possession of such a work of art as this silk kimono is, would symbolise the high status of the woman, especially holding a fly swather, meaning she is not a geisha available to just anybody...
@steviej, I found out something about the subject matter of your scroll. The subject is a "Hell Courtesan" (to use the common English translation), or Jigoku Day? in Japanese. The Hell Courtesan seems to have been based on a couple of historical women, but is simultaneously an allegorical figure. There's a fabulous article about the subject here:
"Who is the Hell Courtesan?"
https://intojapanwaraku.com/jpart/1590/
To quote the beginning of the article:
"In the Edo period (1603-1868), a legendary beauty known as Jigoku Day? frequently appeared in popular literature and then art. In particular, the otherworldly figure often featured in woodblock prints and paintings during the political turmoil in the latter part of the Edo period and through Japan’s transition from a feudal land to modern state in the Meiji period (1868-1912).
Jigoku Day? literally means 'hell courtesan,' and she is depicted as a beautiful, high-ranking courtesan dressed in elegant kimono and an over kimono with images of Hell according to Japanese Buddhist mythology."
I am sure that is what is being depicted here. Because the woman in your scroll is holding a hossu (whisk), according to the article that indicates she has attained Enlightenment and need not fear that she is destined for hell.
It is indeed a beauty!
P.S. The word that appears in my comment as "Day?" should actually be "Dayu", with a macron (straight bar) over the 'u' to indicate that the vowel is pronounced extra long. The word - meaning courtesan - is also transliterated as "Dayuu." Unfortunately this forum doesn't seem to permit special typographical characters!
Thanks for that clarification of the Jogoku Dayu and the ‘hossu’ RHINEISFINE !!!