Kawanabe KyōsaiJapanese, 1831–1889Hell Courtesan
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- 7 hours ago
- In this state since
- Aug 19, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
Kawanabe Kyōsai repeated this large-scale composition with variations a number of times. In this version, a famous 15th-century courtesan known for wearing a robe with images of the Buddhist hells stands before a folding screen. Legend has it that she was abducted by bandits, and wore the garment to symbolize her belief that her suffering in her current life was punishment for sins committed in a former life. Here, in a parody depiction of the garment, the courtesan stands in for Benzaiten, the goddess of everything that flows, while the remaining members of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune appear on her outer robe. One of them reports sins to Enma, the King of Hell, who is writing out his judgments on the recently deceased.
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1985.268
In the catalog
Sources
- The Cleveland Museum of Art: the museum's own open data · fetched 6 days ago
- Image: The Cleveland Museum of Art — Museum open access
![Long Legs [left of a pair of Long Legs and Long Arms], Kawanabe Kyōsai, 1870s–1880s](https://img.artsmia.org/web_objects_cache/116000/800/40/116848/mia_8031961_800.jpg)
![Long Arms [right of a pair of Long Legs and Long Arms], Kawanabe Kyōsai, 1870s–1880s](https://img.artsmia.org/web_objects_cache/116000/800/40/116849/mia_8031957_800.jpg)
