Museum Explorer
Dress and ornament in Asia
Japanese courtesan
From: Japan
Date: about AD 1704-16
In the past, Japanese men and women both dressed in the loose robe called a kimono. This painting shows a beautiful young Japanese woman. She is actually wearing two kimonos. The outer kimono is blue, light brown and white and has a pattern of chrysanthemum flowers. It is draped over the woman’s right shoulder. She has slipped down her left sleeve to show the inner kimono, which is red with a design of bamboo against a snowy winter background.
