Kintaro, Urashimataro, and Momotaro, from the triptych "Set of Three Sake Cups for the First Month (Tarozuki mitsugumi sakazuki)"

Kintaro, Urashimataro, and Momotaro, from the triptych Set of Three Sake Cups for the First Month (Tarozuki mitsugumi sakazuki), designed by Kitagawa Utamaro around 1795 and held by the Art Institute of Chicago, is an early-New-Year print structured around a witty pun. The three legendary boys, Kintaro the mountain hero raised by Yamauba, Urashimataro the fisherman of the dragon palace, and Momotaro the peach-born conqueror of ogres, all share the suffix 'taro', which Utamaro links to the tarozuki, the first three formal cups of sake exchanged at New Year. Each child appears alongside an Edo bijin-ga figure who dotes on or plays with him, transforming a classical drinking custom into an affectionate domestic scene. Utamaro's drawing of plump infant bodies is among the most admired in ukiyo-e: the rounded foreheads, soft limbs, and unfocused gaze contrast wonderfully with the elongated grace of the women. The printing complements the wit of the design, with bright pigments suited to the festive subject and careful registration where children and adults overlap. For collectors of Kitagawa Utamaro and of Edo bijin-ga, the triptych shows the artist using a familiar New Year ritual to celebrate the women who held households together, while embedding folktale references that any Edo viewer would recognize. The Art Institute of Chicago's holding makes it possible to study the print's color and condition close up, a vivid example of late eighteenth-century ukiyo-e at its most inventive.