Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

In this scene, three warmly clad women make their way to the Washi Great Shrine in Asakusa, near the Yoshiwara pleasure district, seen in the distance. They carry offerings for the Shintō deity Okunimushi no Mikoto, whose festival falls on the first “cock” day of the eleventh month. (The Japanese associate days of the month with the twelve animals of the zodiac.). The woman on the right carries a rake decorated with a mask of a smiling peasant woman, Otafuku, who is associated with prosperity. Such rakes would be used during the celebration of the New Year to come.