Hour of the Hare: 5:00 - 7:00

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 Hare, which equates roughly to what we would call 6:00 am. A courtesan helps her client into his haori jacket, which is lined with a portrait of a Daruma by the Kano school artist Suzuki Rinsho (reference: British Museum), as he prepares to leave.

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.