Description
Two bijin (美人) beauties, crouching next to a palanquin (駕籠), converse with a noblewoman during a mountain excursion. The woman’s rank can be guessed from the type of vehicle with which she was transported by the men visible in the background: not a common bamboo litter, but a precious wooden norimono (乗物), with sliding door and decorated interior.
The large vertical format woodblock print is taken from the series “Thirty-six Elegant Selections” (三十六佳撰) by the artist Mizuno Toshikata (水野年方). The complete title of the work is “Mountain Excursion: Woman of the Kyoho Era” (遊山 享保頃婦人).
The print, made in 1893 by the publisher Akiyama Buemon (秋山武右衛門), owner of Kokkeido (滑稽堂), despite the presence of some signs of aging, is in good general condition, thanks also to an effective relining carried out on the back.
