Sugatami Shichinin Keshō
series of ukiyo-e prints designed by the Japanese artist Utamaro
Sugatami Shichinin Keshō (姿見七人化粧, "Seven Women Applying Make-up Using a Mirror", c. 1792–93) is the title of what was likely a seven-print series by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Kitagawa Utamaro. Only one print from the presumed series is known, and is believed to be of the tea-house girl Naniwa O-Kita.
The print has also appeared under the title Bijin Keshō no Zu (美人化粧之図, "Picture of Woman Applying Makeup").
Description
The vertical nishiki-e multicolour print is in o-ban size—about 37 by 25 centimetres (15 in × 10 in). It was published by Tsutaya Jūzaburō and is signed Utamaro ga (歌麿画, "drawn by Utamaro"). The mirror's background is dusted with mica to give it a glittering effect.
The print bears the title Sugatami Shichinin Keshō, which suggests it was—or was intended to be—part of a seven-print series. The young woman in the print is seen from behind, her body cropped off the right edge. Her face appears reflected as she peers into a large mirror with her right hand on her hair. Both her face and the nape of her neck are visible; the nape of the neck was considered particularly sensual in Edo-period Japan.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Sugatami Shichinin Keshō” is series of ukiyo-e prints designed by the Japanese artist Utamaro. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Sugatami, Shichinin and Keshō, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “series of ukiyo-e prints designed by the Japanese artist Utamaro” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q30590576. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1792.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sugatami Shichinin Keshō”, its source revision and the description used here.
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- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Sugatami Shichinin Keshō” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.