The geisha Sankatsu holding two halves of a sake cup

In this triptych [see EA1983.36], two merchants compete for the love of the geisha Sankatsu. Sankatsu holds the two halves of a red sake cup in her hands, demonstrating her divided loyalties towards the two men.

Prints were produced by a team of craftsmen employed by a publisher. The publisher commissioned an artist to produce an image, which was then carved onto wooden blocks by an engraver and finally inked and printed up by the printer. At first prints were restricted to black outlines, which were often hand-coloured. By the mid-1700s, multiple blocks were being used to print several different colours onto a single sheet of paper.

Details

Title

The geisha Sankatsu holding two halves of a sake cup
Artist/maker

Utagawa Kunisada (1823 - 1880) (designer)
Associated people

Watanabe Shōemon (active c. 1849 - 1853) (censor)

Kinugasa Fusajirō (active c. 1843 - 1853) (censor)

Sanoya Kihei (active c. 1801 - 1878) (publisher)
Associated place

Tōkyō (place of creation)

Tōkyō (place of publication)
Date

1849 - 1850
Material and technique

woodblock print
Material index

paper
Technique index

colour woodcut
Object type

triptych print
Dimensions

mount 55.5 x 26.6 cm (height x width)
sheet 34.9 x 23.3 cm (height x width)
No. of items

1
Credit line

Presented by Christ Church College, University of Oxford, 1983.
Museum location

not on display
Museum department

Eastern Art
Accession no.

EA1983.36.b