Hour of the Dog (Inu no koku) - Kitagawa Utamaro
Archival giclée
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Description
A woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro depicting a courtesan and her attendant during the evening hours in the Yoshiwara district.
This woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro belongs to the series Twelve Hours in Yoshiwara, which documents the daily activities of courtesans within the pleasure district of Edo. The Hour of the Dog, corresponding to the period between 7:00 and 9:00 PM, captures a quiet moment of correspondence. A high-ranking courtesan, or oiran, kneels upon a floor mat, holding a long scroll of paper. She is engaged in writing or reading a letter, while a young attendant, or kamuro, leans in to observe the document with a curious expression.
Utamaro is known for his mastery of the bijin-ga genre, which focuses on the depiction of beautiful women. His approach here avoids static portraiture, opting instead for a narrative quality that suggests a specific interaction between the two figures. The composition is balanced by the verticality of the scroll and the attendant's posture, which mirrors the curve of the courtesan's form. The colour palette remains restrained, utilising soft pinks, muted greens, and charcoal tones to maintain a sense of intimacy.
The print features the characteristic calligraphic line work associated with Utamaro, particularly in the rendering of the fabric folds and the delicate facial features of the subjects. The inclusion of the cartouche at the top right, which identifies the specific hour, provides a structural element that anchors the scene within the broader thematic series. This work offers a glimpse into the social dynamics of the Yoshiwara district, where literacy and the exchange of letters played a role in the interactions between courtesans and their patrons. The attention to detail in the clothing patterns and the writing implements reflects the high level of craftsmanship involved in the production of ukiyo-e prints during the late eighteenth century.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
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Specific Features
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- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
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- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Hour of the Dog (Inu no koku) - Kitagawa Utamaro
Artist Biography
Kitagawa Utamaro
Almost nothing is certain about his early life. He was born around 1753, possibly in Edo, possibly in Kyoto, possibly in Kawagoe. He began publishing prints in the 1770s under the guidance of the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, who recognised what Utamaro could do with a portrait of a woman.
What he could do was unprecedented. He invented the okubi-e format: large head-and-shoulders portraits of individual women, mostly from the Yoshiwara pleasure district, printed in close-up with minimal background. Before Utamaro, bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) showed groups of figures in full length. He isolated the face, the tilt of the head, the expression. The prints are psychologically specific in a way that had not existed in Japanese printmaking.
He also published books of insect studies and volumes of shunga (erotica), and he made portraits of ordinary town women, not just courtesans. Ohisa and Okita, two shopgirls who appeared in his Three Beauties of the Present Day, became famous across Edo because of his prints. He turned real people into celebrities, which may be the first documented instance of an artist functioning as a kind of media platform.
Tsutaya Juzaburo died in 1797. Utamaro was reportedly devastated. Some critics feel his work never reached the same level afterward. He produced over two thousand prints in his career.
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