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](/glossary/triptych) context suggests a broader festival panorama.
![A Low Class Prostitute (Gun [teppo]), from the series “Five Shades of Ink in the Northern Quarter" ("Hokkoku goshiki-zumi") by Kitagawa Utamaro](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/ed82be98-8a83-4163-ccc4-e2f7210cce55/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
c. 1794/95
Color woodblock print; oban
c. 1793
color woodblock print
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
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.
