Two beauties under a blossoming cherry tree

Two women representing Japan and China are dressed in national costumes. The beauties are apparently imaginary, shown together to contrast females of the two countries. The Japanese woman is in the Heian period (794-1185) costume, and the Chinese in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) costume. As in many Japanese beauty paintings, the women stand against a branch of flowering cherry blossoms, a spring flower much adored in Japan.

Teisai Hokuba, a student of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), was renowned for portraying courtesans and geisha engaged in everyday activities in the pleasure quarters. This formal painting of a Japanese and Chinese woman is unusual among his work. It may have been commissioned by one of his patrons for a particular usage.