Woman Playing Shamisen (Fox Woman)

Japan

first half 18th century

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A woman kneels and plays a shamisen, a three-stringed Japanese instrument. She wears a kimono with red stripes. In Japanese folklore, foxes (kitsune) transformed themselves into humans in order to play tricks on unsuspecting people. They commonly take the shape of a beautiful woman and lead lovelorn men astray. The woman in this Ōtsu-e apears to be a prostitute of the licensed entertainment district. Dressed in a beautiful kimono, her skin whitened by cosmetics, she is playing a three-stringed shamisen. Protruding from the hem of her robe, however, is a bushy tail that betrays her true nature. <P>The inscription is a playful comment on the nature of human deceit. If you are sharp witted, you will detect an insincere woman's artful pretense; i