Utagawa Kunisada. Karigane Omi: Woman in a Black Kimono with a Wild Geese Crest / Fan print, 1826.

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865)
Signed: Gototei Kunisada ga [五渡亭國貞画].
Date-aratame seal: Year of the Dog (inu, 戌) Bunsei 9; plus Aratame (改); 1826
Publisher: Iseya Sōemon [伊勢屋惣右衛門] (Japanese, 1776–1862); publisher’s logo “ue” (上) under 'double roof'
Genre: Bijin-ga [美人画].
Media: Fan print (uchiwa-e, 団扇絵), colour woodblock print, 225 × 266 mm

Description: Bust-length portrait of a woman shown in three-quarter view, looking to the left, wearing a black kimono and an elaborate coiffure secured with hairpins and ribbons.
The kimono bears a karigane crest (kamon) depicting so called three inward-facing knotted wild geese. Her hair ornament incorporates multiple motifs, including wild geese, a moon, and autumn grasses—both linear stalks and a fan-shaped plume of Chinese silver grass. The background features a checkered pattern. A cartouche at left bears the inscription Karigane Omi [かりがね おみ]. Taken together, the motifs of geese, moon, and autumn grasses correspond to established autumnal imagery associated with the Ōmi hakkei tradition, particularly the theme of Wild Geese Descending at Katata, and may be understood as a mitate in which a classical landscape theme is condensed into the woman’s costume and adornment rather than depicted as a literal landscape. The artist’s signature and seals appear at right. Trimmed close to the image edge.

Note: The term karigane (かりがね) means wild goose. Mitsu-daki-gari [三つ抱き雁] (three inward-facing wild geese).

Another fan print by Kunisada with a round red title cartouche, but published by Ibaya Kyūbei in 1831, is reproduced in Fahr-Becker, Gabriele (ed.). Japanese Prints. — Köln: Taschen, 2007, p.159 [LIB-3497.2025].