Published: 1852
Description: Diptych of Jiraiya and a courtesan, playing go.
Comment: If you look closely, you will notice that the board and bowls are being supported by a crouching servant. Ouch!
Copyright: Douglas Cable

Published: circa 1864
Series: "Story of faithful Hearts and True Loyalty."
Title or subject: "Ooishe Saemon Nobukiyo."
Description: This is one of the ones showing an actor squinting and holding an upside-down go board on his shoulder.
Copyright: Douglas Cable

Published: 1852
Description: Depicts a bijin ("beautiful woman) standing over a go board looking over her shoulder.
Comment: Chuban size.
Copyright: Douglas Cable

Published: circa 1846-1847
Description: Sensual night scene with three biijin over a go board, with the moon, river, and mountain in the background.
Copyright: Douglas Cable

Published: 1857
Description: One of several go prints depicting a bijin reading a letter seated at, or standing over, a go board.
Series: "Genji gojuyo-jo" (The 54 Amourous Chapters of Genji), subtitled "Chapter 4."
Copyright: Douglas Cable

Published: around 1850
Description: These are the center and right sheets of a triptych, showing actors on stage with a go board.
Comment: Fortunately, the two sheets work well together, which isn't always the case when one of the three sheets is missing.
Copyright: Douglas Cable

Description: It shows the courtesan Takuhijo talking to a maid. There's a bijiin playing go in the back room, with part of the board showing.
Series: "36 Courtesans #1"
Copyright: Douglas Cable

Series: "36 Courtesans #1"
Comment: Prints depicting life in the Yoshiwara often extolled both the womanly virtues and good character of the courtesans, as well as their professional capabilities. Woodblock prints were used as advertisements, play bills, political statements (in which case neither the artist nor publisher dared sign them), decoration (for the common class only)and the equivalent of comic books. Highly valued today, they only cost a few cents in the 18th & 19th centuries, and were even used as packing material in crates of merchandise.
Copyright: Douglas Cable

Description: woodprint (ukiyo-e)
Copyright: Douglas Cable

Description: woodprint (ukiyo-e)
Copyright: Douglas Cable