Untitled

Harunobu employed the traditional ukiyo‑e woodblock method, carving separate blocks for each color and applying ink by hand onto each sheet. The print’s vivid hues have endured for over two centuries because each impression was produced individually, preserving the intensity of the pigments.

The work belongs to a prolific series of prints Harunobu produced in the late 1760s, a period when he popularized multicolored woodcuts. While the exact ownership trail is unclear, the image has been documented in several catalogues of Edo‑period prints and remains a representative example of Harunobu’s portraiture.

During the mid‑Edo era, woodblock prints served both as popular entertainment and as visual records of fashionable society. Harunobu’s focus on recognizable courtesans reflects the public’s fascination with the pleasure quarters, while the inclusion of seasonal motifs such as cherry blossoms underscores contemporary aesthetic conventions.