Maiko Preparing tea

Maiko Preparing Tea, from Wada Sanzo's Shōwa Shokugyō Emaki, shows an apprentice geiko engaged in temae, the procedure of preparing matcha. The figure is likely depicted kneeling in seiza behind utensils — chawan tea bowl, chasen bamboo whisk, chashaku scoop, natsume tea caddy — with the trailing hikizuri kimono and darari obi that distinguish maiko from full geiko, and the white oshiroi makeup with maiko-style hairstyle and hanakanzashi ornaments. Compared with the standing Maiko sheet in the same series, this print emphasizes a horizontal, contained composition organized around the tea utensils, the kimono spreading in flat patterned planes around the kneeling body. Wada's mokuhanga treatment uses broad color blocks and a firm keyblock contour rather than the tonal bokashi gradients of shin-hanga bijin-ga, an approach consistent with his yōga training. The pairing of the two maiko prints within the Occupations series reflects Wada's practice of showing a profession both as a social type and through a characteristic working action.