no. 4, Shinchi in Winter, Before the Mirror (Dai-yon, fuyu [Shinchi], Kagami no mae)

The fourth print in Tsunetomi's seasons-of-the-pleasure-quarters series depicts the Shinchi district in winter, with a woman posed before a mirror. The Japanese title identifies this as "Kagami no mae" (Before the Mirror), the same intimate subject Tsunetomi explored in other works. Here, the winter setting adds a layer of meaning: the mirror scene takes on the cold clarity of the season, with the woman's reflection perhaps sharpened by the crisp light that winter brings to interior spaces. Shinchi was one of several licensed entertainment districts in Osaka, and Tsunetomi's decision to assign each season to a different district creates a geographic as well as temporal survey of the pleasure quarter world. Winter's association with stillness and introspection suits the private, contemplative act of self-examination before a mirror.