Beauty Looking Back

Tokyo National Museum is celebrating its 150th anniversary. During its long history, the Museum accumulated an extensive collection, including many artworks of great artistic or historical value. Not all these works, however, are designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties. From among these works, our curators have selected what they consider "Future National Treasures" for display in this gallery in 2022.

Beauty Looking Back
By Hishikawa Moronobu
Edo period, 17th century

The artist Hishikawa Moronobu (d. 1694) is celebrated today as the "founder of ukiyo-e." This genre of art flourished in the Edo period (1603–1868) and depicted the lives and interests of common people. This ukiyo–e painting is Moronobu's most famous and provides a glimpse at the latest trends of his time.
The woman's elaborate hairstyle, tied in a loop behind her back, was the height of fashion in the Jōkyō era (1684–1688). This hairstyle is accented with a luxury comb carved from turtle shell. Her vibrant kimono is decorated with round floral patterns while her sash is tied in a style invented by the popular kabuki actor Kamimura Kichiya, who played females roles on stage. But perhaps the most attractive feature of this painting is how the young woman pauses to look over her shoulder, leaving us to guess at what caught her attention.