
Courtesan
1704 · Monochrome woodblock print (sumizuri-e); ink on paper
22 3/4 x 12 3/4 in. (57.8 x 32.4 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kaigetsudō Anchi was a painter and leading figure of the Kaigetsudō school, a specialist atelier within the ukiyo-e tradition focused on depicting courtesans and beauties with bold, flattened forms and rich decorative patterning. Active in early 18th-century Edo Japan, Anchi inherited and developed the school's distinctive approach to female portraiture, characterized by assertive line work and vibrant pigment applied to paper and silk. His work exemplifies the transition from narrative genre scenes toward the isolated, psychologically charged bust portrait that would define mid-Edo visual culture.
Source: Aic · Trust score: 85% · Updated 8d ago