A Beauty Looking at the First Sunrise

Along with book illustrations and some actor prints, Chōki designed many prints of women, including some impressive half-length portraits. This composition, one of his most accomplished productions, is from a four-panel series of beautiful women, commonly known as Shiki no bijin (Beauties in Four Seasons). The woman is enjoying the sunrise on New Year’s Day, the occasion that marked the coming of spring in the lunar calendar. The first sunrise was considered sacred, and people got up early to pray to the sun for health and happiness during the year. A stone washbasin (chōzubachi) in the foreground suggests that this woman has performed ritual ablutions in preparation for her prayers. The potted plant with yellow flowers by the basin is fukujusō (literally, “plant of fortune and longevity”), cultivated to bloom at New Year’s.