Minneapolis Institute of Art

Working Girls

attr. Yamaguchi Soken

Date

first half 19th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, from a set of five, ink and color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

In the Edo period, the material and design of kimono were strictly regulated by the government along class lines, such that class and occupation were identifiable by costumes and hairstyles. Here (from left to right) are ladies of the warrior class, wives of merchants, young maidens, working girls, and women in the demimonde. Soken’s extraordinary brush control and use of pigments can be seen in the delicate hairlines and the texture of complexions and make-up. The son of a kimono merchant, he depicted magnificent kimono with delicate folds suggesting the body under the fabric. Japan, Asia

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