Japanese woodcut, ink, paper, 26x17 cm (paper size), text in Japanese
The woodcut is from the encyclopedic series Kojitsu Sosho Reifuku Chakuyo-zu (translated as Wearing ceremonial garb), published in 1903 (Meiji 36) in Tokyo. The author of the woodcuts was Kosugi Unson, and the publisher was Yoshikawa Hansichi. Reifuku Chakuyo Zu is an outstanding illustrative work depicting details of ceremonial attire worn at the Japanese court. The theoretical foundation for the illustrations was laid by philosopher Imaizumi Sadasuke (1863-1944), a scholar of the Kokugaku movement who emphasized Japanese classical studies.
The woodcut depicts the formal attire worn by court officials of early imperial Japan. Court attire was exceptionally ornate for those holding court ranks and official positions. It consisted of accessories such as waragutsu (straw shoes), ogi (folding fan), and kanmuri (a tall black lacquered silk gauze hat worn by Shinto clerics, aristocrats and courtiers).
