Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III). Koshikibu of the Tamarō house, from an untitled series of courtesan prints / Fan print, 1863.

Signed: Ki-ō Toyokuni ga (喜翁豊國画) in a red toshidama cartouche
Combined date and censor seal: 亥極 (i / kiwame) — Bunkyū 3 (1863)

Description: Uchiwa-e (団扇絵), colour woodblock print, 227 × 300 mm; backed. Set in the Shin-Yoshiwara pleasure quarter of Edo, the print depicts the high-ranking courtesan Koshikibu of the Tamarō house (玉樓 小式部, Tamarō Koshikibu). She stands before a dense field of iris (ayame, 菖蒲), dressed in layered robes with bold indigo floral and geometric patterns, and wearing an elaborate coiffure with numerous long hairpins (kanzashi, 簪), marking her elevated status. Her teeth are blackened (ohaguro), indicating adult rank. Facing her is an attendant, also an adult woman with ohaguro, dressed more modestly in a subdued, patterned kimono. She leans forward and offers a kiseru (煙管, pipe), while Koshikibu extends her hand to receive it. The background features a bokashi (ぼかし) sky, transitioning from red at the top to blue below, framing the iris field and the two figures.

The identification by house name places the scene within Shin-Yoshiwara, where brothel establishments designated by the suffix -rō (樓/楼) formed the organizational structure of the licensed quarter.

This design belongs to an untitled series of courtesan prints, including: Hashidate from Owarirō (尾州樓 橋立), Shigeoka from Okamotorō (岡本樓 重岡), and Imamurasaki from Matsumotorō (松本樓 今紫). The brothels in the series are mentioned in De Becker, J. E. The Nightless City, or, The History of the Yoshiwara Yūkaku. — Rutland, VT; Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc., 1984.