" Ukiyo Bijin "
Komata No Kereagatta Hito

“Ukiyo bijin” is Japanese for beauty of the floating world. The “floating world” was a term applied to the walled pleasure quarters of Japan’s Tokugawa or Edo period (1600-1868). It was an apt phrase for the vibrant life and culture in the night less cities or licensed entertainment quarters of the urban centers. There, the merchants, shopkeepers, and artisans were surreptiously joined by members of the ruling Samurai or warrior elite. The floating world was a refuge from the rigid hierarchical society of feudal Japan. The entertainment districts were the only officially condoned release from the highly formal regulations of everyday life in Tokugawa Japan, particularly as there were no mixed social functions.

Geisha came to occupy the top levels of the floating world. They were considered true artists that could not legally engage in sex acts with clients; this distinguished them from prostitutes in the quarters. Geisha literally means “one who lives by their art”. Geisha were the ultimate companions, thoroughly educated, impeccably mannered, and exquisitely beautiful. They wrote poetry, played multiple instruments, trained in dance, and made scintillating conversation. They boosted their renowned by parading through the quarters in their most glorious kimonos. As such they were leaders of chic fashion and the arts. One kimono cost more than $10,000 dollars and a geisha might not wear the same one twice.

They were considered the perfect combination of erotic beauty and high artistic achievement. In Edo slang the highest compliment one could give a geisha was “komata no kereagatta hito”, which was used to say that a person was attractive and worthy of praise. It also referred to the beautiful shape at the nape of their neck outlined in white make-up. It is said that a man becomes the patron of a geisha as a means of “acquiring art”. She gives the potential to experience art and through this art experience the nature of true beauty.

Ironically, the geisha eventually helped with and were indispensable in the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate system that lead to the Meiji Restoration period. The revolution was planned in the teahouses of the geisha districts of Gion and Pontocho. The geisha involved remained silent about the revolution and even protected the revolutionaries from officials.

This piece represents the seamless fusion of beauty and art epitomized by geisha. It is illustrative of a geisha formal kimono with the long heavy train and longer sleeves. At the very top is a representation of the white outlined nape area that defined the sensuality of geisha. Instead of the typical daily two lines, three are used to show the formality of the occasion. The sleeves are brocade silk and the body is a blend, uniquely dyed and decorated with silk crepe squares and faux-cultured pearls. The backing is comprised of a vintage Meji period Maru style obi almost 100 years old ornately decorated with traditional hawks, pines, and chrysanthemums. (54in x 68in)