39 Kunisada II Utagawa 1823 – 1880 Courtesan Akashi Arranging Flowers in a Vase with Her Attendant Midori beneath Blooming Cherry Blossoms

from the series Shin Yoshiwara, Edo-machi Nichōme (The New Yoshiwara in the Second District of Edo)

The courtesan Akashi of the Gojōrō house is depicted delicately arranging yellow flowers in a bronze vase beneath blossoming cherry trees. Beside her stands her young attendant (kamuro) Midori, holding a water ewer; the name of her second pupil, Hanano, appears in the inscription. The sumptuous kimono decorated with peacocks and red morning glories contrasts beautifully with the deep blue sky and soft pink cherry blossoms in the background.

This refined image captures one of the last expressions of ukiyo-e elegance — a farewell to the radiant world of Yoshiwara just before Japan’s encounter with Western modernity.