Drying clothes

Triptych colour woodblock print of ‘Drying clothes’ by Kitagawa Utamaro, published by Iwatoya Kisaburō; printed in Edo (modern Tokyo), Japan, around 1790. A group of women dry clothes on a rooftop platform overlooking the city, Mt. Fuji’s distinctive peak visible in the distance. While the child reaches up for attention, the cat steals over the balustrade. Seeking its prey among the pine tree’s branches, it fails to notice the cuckoo flying overhead.