The Courtesan Takihime and Attendants (from the series New Patterns of Young Greens)

The designs on Takihime’s outer robe describes fragments of scenery—bridge, castle, wind-filled sails amid clouds—while her attendants’ robes are more conventionally decorated with scattered flowers. The tassels on their sleeves were worn only by young girls. All three wear the triple-fan crest of the Ogiya ("House of Fans") tea house on the shoulders of their kimono. The cartouche in the upper-right corner of the print identifies the series title and time of year. It is New Year, the same season depicted in Engetsudo’s scroll <em>Courtesan and Attendants </em>(see 1985.255). Courtesans strolling through the streets with their attendants were common sights during evening hours in the Yoshiwara.