Kitagawa Utamaro has produced more than two thousand prints and has achieved national fame already during his lifetime. His sensuous beauties are considered the finest and most evocative in all of ukiyo-e genre. He portrayed the transient moods of women of all ages, classes and circumstances.
Ukiyo-e was a popular art form for the middle class from the 17th to the 19th century and originated in Edo (Tokyo). It depicted pop attractions of the day – from sumo wrestling and kabuki theatre, flora, fauna, scenes from history, geography and folk tales to erotic motifs and female beauty.