Katsushika Oi’s “Three Women Playing Music”

Katsushika Oi was the daughter of Hokusai, who painted Great Wave off Kanagawa

Silk kimono and uchikake rustle and billow as the women settle onto the floor. It is winter, and the padded layers of their clothing make cozy nests.

Perfectly coiffed hair, painstakingly combed and waxed into shape, does not cover shell pink ears.  Heads adorned with bamboo ornaments and silken flowers tilt and bend, the better to hear the gentle strains of koto zither and sanshin lute.  The bow of upright kokyu draws slowly downward, coaxing out a bird-like voice.

Alas, the crescendo-decrescendo of her father’s Great Wave drowns with its fame the delicate artistry of his daughter.