Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) (Japan, 1786-1865) Print, oban tate-e, from the series Ukiyo meijo zue (浮世名異女圖會), Views of Remarkable Women of the Floating World, plate Naniwa Shimanouchi nakazume (浪花嶋の内中据), Nakazume of Shimanouchi in Naniwa. Signed Gototei Kunisada ga. Publisher Iseya Rihei (Kinjudō). Circa 1820-1824. Size 37.5 x 25.4 cm The courtesan Nakazume from the Shimanouchi district of Naniwa (Osaka) kneels on a futon and observes herself in a mirror. Two lacquered headrests and a tray with two sake cups are signs that she has spent time with a client. The butterfly motif on her kimono and the headrests indicate the brothel to which she is affiliated (though here unidentified). The Shimanouchi district was the equivalent of the Yoshiwara pleasure district in Edo. The series, comprising thirty plates, illustrates the famous female artists of Osaka, Kyoto and Ise. The title of the series cleverly plays on the characters jo (女), meaning "woman", here lu sho, and the homophone sho (所), meaning "place", so that the term meisho could be interpreted as "famous or remarkable women" (名異女) or "famous places". Reference: A similar print in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no. 11.15700