Two elegantly dressed women stand on a veranda overlooking the Horikiri iris fields. The woman on the right, wearing a blue kimono decorated with ducks and waves, gestures with both hands in a manner suggesting she is describing something tall—perhaps emphasizing the impressive height of the irises below. The woman on the left, dressed in a kimono featuring a stream and blossoms at the bottom and bats at the upper part, is sitting on the veranda’s barrier, gazing at the bystanders in the field below.
A teapot, two cups, and a red folding fan are arranged on the veranda, suggesting that the women have been enjoying a relaxing moment. Red-and-white lanterns hang from the structure while a pine tree extends nearby, framing the upper left of the scene.
Below, the iris field is in full bloom, with enormous irises creating a vibrant display. A worker, distinguishable by his traditional blue attire and round straw hat (sugegasa, 菅笠), tends to the plants. Three men in European-style Meiji-era outfits stand on a path running along the iris field—one holds an umbrella, while all three carry swords, signalling their status. One of them gestures toward the women, possibly in admiration or conversation.
In the background, distant hills, village rooftops, and haystacks stretch across the horizon. The sky transitions in a striking gradient from deep red to blue, a feature of Meiji-era prints. This red pigment, often called bengara (紅殻, iron oxide red) or aniline red, was commonly used in Meiji-era woodblock prints to enhance atmospheric effects and convey dusk or early evening settings.
The house in this print could be a place of entertainment, catering to well-off visitors who enjoyed the irises, drinks, and possibly geisha company or courtesan services. While Horikiri was not as famous as Yoshiwara, its beautiful surroundings and teahouses made it an ideal place for refined leisure—sometimes with an implicit erotic element.
Utagawa Hiroshige III. Thirty-six Views of Modern Tokyo: Irises at Horikiri.
