“Hanazuma of Hyōgoya, Kenbishi of Sakagami” from the series The Peers of Saké Likened to Select Denizens of Six Houses (Natori zake rokkasen: Hyōgoya Hanazuma, Sakagami no Kenbishi)

Description

Hanazuma of the Hyōgoya appears in a close portrait, her pale exposed shoulder framed by patterned fabric and a hairpin. A small inset associated with sake gives the named courtesan a second visual context. Kitagawa Utamaro connects her with Kenbishi of Sakagami within a themed series, allowing intimate human presence and a playful comparison to share the image.

Dating to around 1794, the woodblock print uses ink and color on paper. The series title connects selected inhabitants of six houses with names from the world of sake, giving the portrayal a context of comparison. The image’s interest lies in that meeting of individual presence and themed association, without requiring an invented account of drinking or a literal scene of sake consumption.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Kitagawa Utamaro collection.