Keisai Eisen A Tōkaidō Board Game of Courtesans

short: Keisai Eisen is famous for his prints showing geisha and courtesans in the late Edo period. long: Keisai Eisen (1790 -1848) is especially known for his bijin-ga, pretty women, and landscapes. He is well known for his participation in the series 69 stations of the Nakasendō together with Hiroshige. The series A Tōkaidō Board Game of Courtesans, Fifty-three Pairings in the Yoshiwara use the Tōkaidō with landscape inserts as an excuse for showing courtesans and geisha, bijin-ga, to skirt the censorship. It was published 1821-1823. His bijin-ga are considered to be masterpieces of the decadent Bunsei Era (18181830). Most of them have impressive hairdo with many ornamental hairpins and combs. Their dress is extravagant with beautiful patterns and sublime embroideries. Their faces are elongated squares with long noses and small pouted painted mouths. Courtesans were desirable for their rich and splendid attire, not so much for their beauty and their names were actually like trademarks for a series of girls performing the same name role with the brothel in question.