Courtesan Likened to the Chinese Sage Zhang Guolao (Japanese: Chokaro)

Art Historical Context

In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1603–1868), Okumura Masanobu's *Courtesan Likened to the Chinese Sage Zhang Guol (Chokaro)*, created around 1715, captures the playful spirit of ukiyo, the "pictures of the floating world." This hand-colored woodblock print, as a tan-e for its vivid, manually applied colors, depicts a glamorous courtesan from the Yoshiwara pleasure district humorously compared to the Taoist immortal Zhang Guolao—one of the Eight Immortals famed for riding a donkey backward. Such bijin-ga (images of beautiful women) blended elite cultural references with everyday urban life, flattering patrons while poking fun at societal norms. Masanobu, a pioneering ukiyo-e artist active in early 18th-century Tokyo, excelled in this large o-oban format (53.4 × 30.9 cm), which allowed for dramatic poses and intricate details. His tan-e technique, using stencils for bold reds, greens, and golds on mulberry paper, predated multi-block color printing, making each print unique and luxurious. This innovation helped popularize affordable art among merchants and samurai, democratizing beauty and wit. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, this work exemplifies how ukiyo-e elevated courtesans to mythical status, reflecting Japan's fascination with transience, desire, and clever allusion during a time of strict social hierarchies.

About the Artist

Okumura Masanobu · 1686–1764

Japanese, 1686–1764