The Lovers Miura-ya Komurasaki and Shirai Gonpachi - Kitagawa Utamaro
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A classic okubi-e woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro, depicting the legendary lovers Komurasaki and Shirai Gonpachi with characteristic grace and psychological depth.
This woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro depicts the legendary lovers Komurasaki, a high-ranking courtesan of the Miura-ya house, and the samurai Shirai Gonpachi. The work belongs to the genre of okubi-e, or large-head pictures, which Utamaro refined to capture the psychological state of his subjects. By focusing on the upper torsos and faces, the artist directs attention to the subtle expressions and the intimacy shared between the two figures.
Utamaro employs a clean, minimalist approach to the background, allowing the figures to occupy the entirety of the visual field. The lines defining the faces and hair are precise and fluid, characteristic of the artist's mature style. The composition relies on the interplay of the two figures, whose heads are tilted toward one another in a gesture of quiet affection. The contrast between the dark, voluminous hair of the courtesan and the simpler coiffure of the samurai creates a balanced visual weight. The colour palette remains restrained, utilising soft earth tones and muted reds to maintain a sense of harmony.
Historically, the story of Komurasaki and Gonpachi was a popular subject in kabuki theatre and literature during the Edo period. Utamaro captures them not in a moment of dramatic action, but in a state of stillness. The print demonstrates the artist's ability to convey character through line and posture rather than elaborate setting. The inclusion of the cartouche in the upper right provides context, identifying the series and the figures depicted. This print is a representative example of the technical skill involved in late eighteenth-century Japanese printmaking, where the collaboration between artist, carver, and printer resulted in works of great clarity and refinement.
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Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
The Lovers Miura-ya Komurasaki and Shirai Gonpachi - Kitagawa Utamaro
Artist Biography
Kitagawa Utamaro
Almost nothing is certain about his early life. He was born around 1753, possibly in Edo, possibly in Kyoto, possibly in Kawagoe. He began publishing prints in the 1770s under the guidance of the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, who recognised what Utamaro could do with a portrait of a woman.
What he could do was unprecedented. He invented the okubi-e format: large head-and-shoulders portraits of individual women, mostly from the Yoshiwara pleasure district, printed in close-up with minimal background. Before Utamaro, bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) showed groups of figures in full length. He isolated the face, the tilt of the head, the expression. The prints are psychologically specific in a way that had not existed in Japanese printmaking.
He also published books of insect studies and volumes of shunga (erotica), and he made portraits of ordinary town women, not just courtesans. Ohisa and Okita, two shopgirls who appeared in his Three Beauties of the Present Day, became famous across Edo because of his prints. He turned real people into celebrities, which may be the first documented instance of an artist functioning as a kind of media platform.
Tsutaya Juzaburo died in 1797. Utamaro was reportedly devastated. Some critics feel his work never reached the same level afterward. He produced over two thousand prints in his career.
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