The registration and the colors in the print are excellent– the garment worn by the Geisha has a lovely design of medium blue with a border of pink plum blossoms. There is no toning evident – we have not examined the print out of the frame as it is so nicely framed. The print’s image is of oban size – 15” by 10 ¼” – the framed size is 20 ½” by 15 ½”. The publisher is identified as Iseya Kanekichi.The print is signed Tokokuni-ga with Kunisada’s character seal. It is dated 1859, the Chinese Year of the Goat. (see footnote).

Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865) (Japanese -also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III) was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan. In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi. At the end of the Edo Period (1600 – 1867), Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi and Kunisada were the three best representatives of the Japanese color woodcut in Edo (capital city of Japan, now Tokyo). He was highly active in the area of bijin prints (comprising about 15% of his complete works), and their total number was far higher than any other artist of his time.

There are twelve Chinese year signs in the Chinese Zodiac. Unlike in our western astrology, in Chinese astrology each sign lasts for a year. Legend has it that as Buddha was about to depart the earth he summoned all the animals to say goodbye. Only twelve turned up so, to show his appreciation of their loyalty, he vowed that from then on each year would bear the name of one of the animals. Feb. 03, 1859 was the first day of a year of the goat.