Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865)
Signed: Toyokuni ga (豊國画) in a red toshidama cartouche
Censor seal: Fuku (福) & Muramatsu (村松), sealed together from 3/1849 to 11/1851
Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1815 – 1869), san (三) in a circle, in a ‘boar eye’ shape
Media: Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e (団扇絵), color woodblock print, 222 x 285 mm
Series: Benkei-chequered fabrics woven to order (Atsuraeori Benkei Konomi, 誂織弁慶好) or Fabric woven in Benkei taste (atsurae ori benkei gonomi, 誂織弁慶好)
A bijin (美人, beautiful woman) is depicted in a refined setting, holding an unadorned uchiwa (団扇, flat fan) in her left hand while delicately raising a writing brush (筆, fude) in her right, “poised as if she is about to write something, perhaps on the fan” (LIB-1212.2017. Robert Schaap, Kunisada: Imaging Drama and Beauty).
Her attire is elaborate, featuring a kimono (着物) with bold purple curves complemented by an underlayer with red geometric motifs. The background is dominated by a chequered fabric pattern, referencing the Benkei-checkered cloth (弁慶縞, Benkei-jima), traditionally associated with the twelfth-century warrior monk Musashibō Benkei (武蔵坊弁慶). This pattern holds historical and cultural significance, often symbolizing strength and resilience. The woman’s elaborate hairstyle (日本髪, nihongami) is adorned with large decorative hairpins (簪, kanzashi), further emphasizing her status and elegance.
The print belongs to a series that incorporates this distinctive checkered motif, connecting it to the visual traditions established by Kunisada (国貞) and his contemporary Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳), who also produced a series of beauties wearing Benkei-checkered kimono, such as Women in Benkei-Checkered Cloth (島揃女弁慶, Shimazōroi onna Benkei, c. 1844).
Reference: Robert Schaap. Kunisada: Imaging Drama and Beauty / Introduction by Sebastian Izzard, contributions by Paul Griffith and Henk. J. Herwig. — Leiden: Hotei Publishing, ©2016, p. 68, pl. 42.
