Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) (1797–1861) Signed: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga [一勇斎 國芳画] in red cartouche Date: VI/1842 – V ic/1846, single nanushi censor seal Murata (村) for censor Murata Sahei [村田佐兵衛]. Publisher: Unknown, Izuzen (Bei, 米); Marks 06-028 | U103a Media: Rigid fan print (Aiban Yoko-e Uchiwa-e, 合判横絵 団扇絵), 224 x 290 mm

Half-length portrait of a woman facing slightly to the right. She wears a patterned kimono with multiple floral and seasonal motifs, including uchiwa (round fans), plum blossoms, maple leaves, chrysanthemums, snow-covered bamboo, pine branches, and peonies. Her obi is tied in front, and a red collar is visible beneath the layers. Her hair is arranged in an elaborate updo and is adorned with a hairpin featuring a rabbit and a crescent moon, referencing lunar symbolism. She dedicates a hand towel at a washing trough (手水舎, temizuya) in a shrine. Inscriptions on the towels.

In the background, several towels are hanging, featuring various mon (family crests) and symbols:

• Three oak leaves
• Crossed or intersecting hawk feathers
• Kiri-mon (Paulownia crest, associated with Kuniyoshi)
• Toshidama (seal of the Utagawa school)
• Masu (枡, measuring box) motif – a square with diagonal lines

1. Kuniyoshi Project
2. [LIB-3428.2025] Christie’s, New York: Japanese Prints, Paintings, and Screens, Monday, 24 November 1997 / Sales Catalogue, № 130, p. 63.

Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni II [歌川豊国二代] a.k.a. Toyoshige [豊重] (Japanese, (1777 – 1835) Signed: 豊国狂筆 (Toyokuni kyō-hitsu, "mad brush of Toyokuni") Publisher: Maru-Jū (丸重), seal Jū (重), Marks reference 08-079 | U190a (1826–1829, only on fan prints) Censor Seal: Kiwame + Bunsei 12 (Year of the Ox [丑], 1829) Media: Uchiwa-e (fan print), color woodblock print, 230 × 293 mm

A fantastical kabuki-themed scene depicting three anthropomorphic bats, dressed in Edo-period costumes. The central figure, likely Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (市川團十郎七, 1791–1859), is distinguished by his costume featuring a gourd motif (瓢箪, hyōtan)—a symbol closely linked to the Ichikawa family. He wears two swords, further identifying him as a kabuki hero, and carries a sake flask marked with what appears to be the publisher's emblem. His raised arm (or wing?) suggests a dramatic action, possibly striking or threatening the bat figure on the left, who recoils in response.

The two side bats, also dressed in patterned kimono, display expressions contrasting with the central figure—one appearing startled, while the other remains cheerful. The oxidized lead-orange pigment used in the lower portions of their wings suggests depth and texture.

This print reflects Danjūrō VII’s association with both the bat (蝙蝠, kōmori) and the double gourd. Bats were considered lucky symbols due to their resemblance to the character of "good fortune" (福, fuku), and Danjūrō VII often incorporated bat motifs into his stage costumes. The Ichikawa family's crest, the mimasu (三升, "three squares"), was more commonly used, but the double gourd and bat imagery appeared in promotional materials, reinforcing his theatrical identity.