Japan: 'The Hour of the Ox' - Ushi no koku - (c. 2am-4am). Utamaro Kitagawa (1753-1806), c. 1794-1795

During the Edo period (1603 - 1868), the Japanese clock was divided into twelve units of time, or ‘hours’, with each one named after one of the zodiacal symbols of the lunar calendar, and with the day being divided up into six daytime hours and six night-time hours.

This woodblock print is taken from Kitagawa Utamaro's 1794-1795 ukiyo-e series 'Twelve Hours of the Green Rooms', sometimes styled 'Twelve Hours of the Yoshiwara', featuring everyday events in the lives of courtesans in Edo's Yoshiwara pleasure district.

It is the hour of the Ox, which begins around two o’clock in the morning. In the sleeping house, the courtesan is suddenly awakened by a call of nature. Still sleepy, she awkwardly puts on her straw sandals, arms herself with a roll of paper and a candle and goes to the bathroom.

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Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

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Pictures From History

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