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Cleveland Museum of Art

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Kawanabe Kyōsai — Hell Courtesan
Kawanabe Kyōsai

Hell Courtesan

1871

Kawanabe Kyōsai repeated this large-scale composition with variations a number of times. In this version, a famous 15th-century courtesan known for wearing a robe with images of the Buddhist hells stands before a folding screen. Legend has it that she was abducted by bandits, and wore the garment to symbolize her belief that her suffering in her current life was punishment for sins committed in a former life. Here, in a parody depiction of the garment, the courtesan stands in for Benzaiten, the goddess of everything that flows, while the remaining members of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune appear on her outer robe. One of them reports sins to Enma, the King of Hell, who is writing out his judgments on the recently deceased.

Medium
Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold, and silver on silk
Dimensions

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Spotted works by Kawanabe Kyōsai

About this work

Kawanabe Kyōsai, Hell Courtesan, 1871

Kawanabe Kyōsai repeated this large-scale composition with variations a number of times. In this version, a famous 15th-century courtesan known for wearing a robe with images of the Buddhist hells stands before a folding screen. Legend has it that she was abducted by bandits, and wore the garment to symbolize her belief that her suffering in her current life was punishment for sins committed in a former life. Here, in a parody depiction of the garment, the courtesan stands in for Benzaiten, the goddess of everything that flows, while the remaining members of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune appear on her outer robe. One of them reports sins to Enma, the King of Hell, who is writing out his judgments on the recently deceased.

Medium
Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold, and silver on silk
Dimensions
2.337 x 0.921 cm
Year
1871
Seen at
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Related themes

Small Scale, Modern, Unique Work

More works by Kawanabe Kyōsai

Collected by

Cleveland Museum of Art