Illustration from `The Twelve Hours of the Green Houses', c.1795 (colour woodblock print) 

Kitagawa Utamaro created this color woodblock print titled "Illustration from `The Twelve Hours of the Green Houses'" around 1795. It belongs to a genre known as ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world," which flourished during the Edo period in Japan. This print offers a glimpse into the lives of courtesans, who were often celebrated for their beauty, wit, and artistic talents. Utamaro's work elevates these women, capturing their elegance and individuality in a society that simultaneously revered and marginalized them. You see, the courtesans of the Green Houses were tastemakers and trendsetters of their time. The print is part of a series depicting the twelve hours of the day, each featuring women from the pleasure quarters. "The Green Houses" refers to the brothels and tea houses of the Yoshiwara district in Edo, now Tokyo. It delicately balances the personal with the societal. It invites us to reflect on the complexities of identity, beauty, and the cultural narratives that shape our perceptions.