Chikanobu: Hot Spring (Onsen温泉) Daydreams by Magic Lantern (Reserved)

Artist: Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912)
Title: Hot Spring (Onsen温泉) Date: 1890

Series: Magic Lantern Comparison 幻燈写心競 (Gento shashin kurabe)

A seated beauty holds open the collar of her summer robe in order to fan air on to her skin from her uchiwa fan. It must be a hot summer night, and the pattern on her robe does seem to echo that of a waterfall. Behind her in a circular inset we see what she must be dreaming of; visiting a cool, mountain onsen and feeling the spray of an icy waterfall. In the inset we see such ladies at open terrace of a ryokan hotel, enjoying the sight of an waterfall as well as a rainbow arcing overhead. She must be dreaming of such an excursion to such a place. As it is she also looks towards her western-style mirror, which is also round and is also something of a device into another world. On the wooden mirror stand are two bottles that seem to be of a western fashion.

The graphics projector (”Magic Lantern”) began to be more common in daily life during the 1880s in major cities of Japan, and was often used in school for teaching. The word ‘shashin’ in the title is normally written 冩真 meaning photos, but here 冩心, picturing/reflecting the mind/heart. Chikanobu created this series of beauties of the modern Meiji era, applying a popular projector as a reflector of the mind of ladies with their admiration and dreams. He used the circle, shape of lens of the projector to capture their dream and comparing their reality. 

The V&A catalog has translated this series as “Daydreams by Magic Lantern”, although this would be a very nontraditional translation of “kurabe”, which is generally translated as comparison or competition. Perhaps it does show women where they are vs. where they’d like to be.

Publisher: Yokoyama Ryohachi
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Dimensions: ôban 36.8 x 25 cm  Signature: Yôshû Chikanobu hitsu

SKU: CHK093