Lady of the Bunsei Era (1818-1830)

A print depicting a lady of the Bunsei era (1818–1830) — the later Tokugawa period when Japan's urban culture reached its most refined and elaborate development before the upheavals of the nineteenth century. The Bunsei era saw the peak of the "Three Beauties" tradition of [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) and the height of Edo's pleasure-quarter culture. Chikanobu's historical beauty from this period would wear the characteristic late Edo refinement of feminine dress: the elaborate patterns, the sophisticated color combinations, the particular hairstyle conventions of the era's most fashionable women.