| Artist: | Utagawa Kunisada [歌川国貞] (Japanese, 1786–1865) |
| Signed: | Kunisada ga [國貞画], in a circular toshidama cartouche |
| Censor seal: | Combined Aratame [改] + zodiac Dog (inu, 戌) |
| Date: | Bunsei 9 (1826) |
| Publisher: | Ibaya Sensaburō [伊場屋仙三郎]; seal san (三) in a circle |
| Media: | Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e (団扇絵), colour woodblock print, 237 × 269 mm |
Description: Bust-length portrait of a young woman with blackened teeth (ohaguro, お歯黒) shown in three-quarter view, facing to the left, adjusting her hairpin beside a wisteria (fuji, 藤) bonsai. Her hair is arranged in a formal coiffure, secured with a tortoiseshell comb, a hairpin (kotoji kanzashi, 琴柱簪), and a hirauchi kanzashi (平打簪) decorated with a mokkō mon (木瓜紋). The figure is set against a dense background of senjafuda (千社札, votive prayer slips). Although sometimes described as a married woman, the presence of ohaguro is not determinative, as the practice was also observed among courtesans, particularly of higher rank.
This uchiwa-e likely forms a series with SVJP-0531.2026 and SVJP-0486.2025, based on the identical artist’s signature cartouche, censor seal/date, and publisher’s mark.
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| SVJP-0527.2026 – Woman with wisteria bonsai | SVJP-0531.2026 – Woman with koto picks | SVJP-0486.2025 – Woman with a hand towel |
Additional Information
| Collection | Fan print (Uchiwa-e) [団扇絵] , Japanese prints and drawings |
|---|---|
| Type / Purpose | Fan , Woodblock print |
| Period | 19 AD , Bunsei era [文政] (1818–1830) , Edo period [江戸時代] (1603–1868) , Mid-19th century |
| Country | Japan |
| Media/Technique | Ink and color on paper , Woodblock print (nishiki-e) |
| Size | Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e , Fan print. Uchiwa-e |
| Genre | Beauty Prints (Bijin-ga, 美人画) |
| Subject | Beautiful woman (bijin-ga) , Beauty , Fan , Fan print , Hairpin , Japan , Japanese woodblock prints , Ohaguro [お歯黒] , Uchiwa-e , Votive prayer slips (Senjafuda, 千社札) , Wisteria (fuji) , Woman , Young woman |
| School | Utagawa (歌川) |
| Signature | Kunisada ga [國貞画] |
| Creation / Publishing year | 1826 , Bunsei 9 |
| Acquisition year | 2026 |
Related Items
SVJP-0486.2025
Utagawa Kunisada. Woman with a hand towel / Fan print, 1826.
SVJP-0531.2026