Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Kamiya Jihei and Kinokuniya Koharu

Size: 39.5cm by 26.5cm (15.55 in by 10.43 in) | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [L] ?

Designer: Kitagawa Utamaro

Era: Mid Showa | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: ¥ 3,000$ 22.00£ 17.50€ 20.25 [Item has been sold]

Description: From the series “Collected Types of Devotion to Love” where Utamaro depicted famous couples based on characters in real life during the Edo period.

The couple here depicted are the eloping lovers Kamiya Jihei and Kinokuniya Koharu, the main characters of the 'Love Suicide at Amijima', by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, and based on an actual event: the double suicide of a young merchant and a courtesan at Amijima in 1720.

This is the farewell scene ... We can notice how the translucency of the sheer black veil that Koharu is wearing reveals a slight smile as she knows they will be together forever. The flame of the paper lantern that Jihei grabs between his hands seems to be the symbol of their eternal love.

This print is a post-war reproduction by the Adachi Company.

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