Hour of the Horse: 11:00 - 13:00

One design from Utamaro's famous series 'Twelve Hours in the Yoshiwara' - actually 24 hours, as the day is here broken into 12 2-hour groups.

This print represents the Hour of the Horse, which equates roughly to what we would call 12 noon. An apprentice brings a courtesan, who is having her hair arranged, a letter from a lover, while a child attendant adjusts her own hair in the mirror.

Unlike most of the other prints in this series, tiny flakes of gold leaf have not been scattered in the background. This version is from the Adachi Company, probably from the 70s to early 80s.