Art Archive • Utamaro
Ukiyo-e
Ten Physiognomies
Young Lady Blowing on a Poppin
ポッピンを吹く娘
UKIYO-E RE-EDITED
描かずに、編集する。
Recolor · Plate separation
The lines and blocks stay as in the original; color plates were rebalanced so the moment of blowing the poppin reads more clearly.
Watermarked previews on this site remain free; the re-edited edition is sold separately.
Original: 喜多川歌麿 / メトロポリタン美術館 (public domain). Re-edited by ApLink Design.
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A landmark of Utamaro’s “golden age” ōkubi-e (c. 1790–94): the shift from full-length beauties to faces and upper bodies, when a single expression could carry the whole picture. Published in collaboration with Tsutaya Jūzaburō, this sheet condenses observation into one charming instant.
Mica-ground (kirazuri) — zoom the background to see how mica dust and paper grain catch light differently; tilting the screen mimics how the print would shimmer in hand.
Hairline and fingers — compare the fine lines at the hairline with the ink describing the fingers lifting the poppin; Utamaro’s sketch-trained eye refined for inner mood.
Checkered kimono — look for layered color and slight transparency in the weave; the overlap of blocks and skin edge rewards high magnification.
View slowly — the Edo chic of this period reaches a quiet extreme in one small rectangle.
Made by hand
Drawn by Kitagawa Utamaro, about ca. 1792–93.
Extended Japanese viewing notes: ポッピンを吹く娘.