
Women Drawing Strings for Prizes, right panel of a triptych
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban triptych
Description
This print depicts women participating in a lottery or prize drawing, pulling strings to reveal their fortunes — a popular entertainment at festivals and temple fairs. The pulling of strings (kujibiki) was a form of divination that combined luck with festive sociability, and its association with women in a group setting gave Utamaro the opportunity to depict multiple figures in a shared moment of anticipation. The triptych context suggests a broader festival panorama.
More Prints by Kitagawa Utamaro

Akashi of the Tamaya, from the series Seven Komachis of Yoshiwara (Seiro nana Komachi) (Tamaya uchi Akashi, Uraji, Shimano)
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Hour of the Tiger (Tora no koku = 4 AM) from the series Twelve Hours in Yoshiwara (Seirô jûni toki tsuzuki), Late Edo period, circa 1794
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Ikebana arrangement of Peony and Willow in Dragon Pot
1781–1806
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The Greatest Beauties of Our Time (Toji zensei bijin zoroe): Somenosuke of the Matsubaya with Attendants Wakagi and Wakaba
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More Figures Prints
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Women Drawing Strings for Prizes, right panel of a triptych was created by Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿).
Women Drawing Strings for Prizes, right panel of a triptych depicts figures, bijin-ga, and daily life.



