Hour of the Boar: 21:00 - 23:00

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 Boar: 21:00 - 23:00, which equates roughly to what we would call 10 p.m. A courtesan with impeccable posture offers a saucer of sake to a client, while her child attendant slumps drowsily over the kettle. As with all of the prints in this series, we do not get to see the client (or indeed any male figure), the focus entirely being placed on the courtesans, their attendants, and courtesan apprentices. 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.