喜多川歌麿 Kitagawa Utamaro 「青楼十二時 丑ノ刻」

Japan: 'The Hour of the Ox' - Ushi no koku - (c. 2am-4am).
Utamaro Kitagawa (1753-1806), c. 1794-1795/During the Edo period (1603 - 1868)
This woodblock print is taken from Kitagawa Utamaro's 1794-1795 ukiyo-e series 'Twelve Hours of the Green Rooms', sometimes styled 'Twelve Hours of the Yoshiwara', featuring everyday events in the lives of courtesans in Edo's Yoshiwara pleasure district.
It is the hour of the Ox, which begins around two o'clock in the morning. In the sleeping house, the courtesan is suddenly awakened by a call of nature. Still sleepy, she awkwardly puts on her straw sandals, arms herself with a roll of paper and a candle and goes to the bathroom.
source : Pictures From History
topic : ART/HISTORY/WOMAN/Film Title/WOMEN
geography : ASIA/JAPAN/YEDO/YOSHIWARA/Person/KITAGAWA UTAMARO