Hour of the Ox: 1:00 - 3:00

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 Ox, which equates roughly to what we would call 2:00 am. A courtesan, tissues and a light in hand, rises to go to the toilet in the dead of night. Her head is bend as if she has forced herself to get up but would much rather keep sleeping. She holds the lighted taper downwards, drowsily trying to slip her feet into her sandals.

The series makes extensive use of tiny flakes of gold leaf scattered in the background. This version is from the Adachi Company, probably from the 70s to early 80s.