Hour of the Hare [6am] (U no koku), from the series “The Twelve Hours in Yoshiwara” ("Seiro juni toki tsuzuki")
c. 1794
![Hour of the Hare [6am] (U no koku), from the series “The Twelve Hours in Yoshiwara” ("Seiro juni toki tsuzuki") by Kitagawa Utamaro](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/aic/thumb/hour-of-the-hare-6am-u-no-koku-from-the-series-aic-23953.webp)
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
37.5 × 24.4 cm (14 13/16 × 9 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23953
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of-period Japan with *Hour of the Hare [6] (U no koku)*, a stunning color woodblock print by master ukiyo-e artist Kit Utamaro, created around 1794. Part of the celebrated series *The Twelve Hours in Yoshiwara* (*Seiro juni toki tsuzuki*), thisan-sized work (37.5 × 24.4 cm) captures a specific moment in the famed Yoshiwara pleasure district of Edo (modern Tokyo)—Japan's licensed quarter for courtesans, teahouses, and nighttime revelry. Utamaro, renowned for his bijin-ga (images of beautiful women), immortalized the "floating world" of urban pleasures through exquisi...
About the Artist
Kitagawa Utamaro · 1753–1806
Kitagawa Utamaro (c. 1753-1806) was one of the most celebrated masters of ukiyo-e woodblock printing, revolutionizing the art of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) during Japan's Edo period. Born Kitagawa Ichitaro, his early life remains shrouded in mystery, with conflicting accounts placing his birth in Kyoto, Osaka, Yoshiwara in Edo (modern Tokyo), or Kawagoe in Musashi Province. Under the t...