Ariwara no Narihira
From the series "Tōsei Kodomo Rokkasen" [Modern Children as the Six Poetic Immortals]

Originally part of a six-piece series, this print depicts the courtier and waka poet Ariwara no Narihira, grandson of Emperor Heizei (reigned 806-946) and one of the Six Poetic Geniuses (Rokkasen). The quixotic lover who was infamous for his erotic poetry, and whose name is inscribed on the print, is portrayed as a youth and identified by his signature bow and quiver with arrows. Yet the true focus of the composition is the beautifully coiffed courtesan sitting behind him. Her submissive pose and undemanding gaze, distinctive of Utamaro’s ideal of female beauty, are meant to appeal to the voyeuristic spectator.