春信 Harunobu

明和6年頃（Ca.1769）

28.3cm×21.4cm

摺良 少折れ 穴

浅草寺境内に店を構える楊枝屋「本柳屋」の看板娘・お藤を描いた一図。本柳屋は楊枝（歯磨き用具）をはじめ、化粧品などを取り扱い、江戸の人々の身支度や嗜みを支えていました。参詣の行き帰りに立ち寄る女客とのさりげない会話が聞こえてくるかのような、春信ならではのやわらかな情趣が漂う一枚です。

This print depicts Ofuji, the shop girl of Motoyanagi-ya, a toothpick shop located within the precincts of Senso-ji Temple. Motoyanagi-ya sold toothpicks (used for dental care) as well as cosmetics, supporting the daily grooming and refined tastes of Edo-period townspeople. One can almost hear the casual conversation between Ofuji and the female customers who stopped by on their way to and from temple visits, a scene rendered with the gentle, lyrical sensibility characteristic of Harunobu.