It’s eight o’clock, and the courtesan’s evening is underway. She sits in the harimise, a room on the brothel's first floor with a lattice front where prospective patrons could view and select their entertainment for the night. Courtesans of lower ranks sat just behind the lattice frame; but this courtesan, with a personal mat, attendant, smoking box and inkstone box, indicates a higher rank that sat further back. The courtesan has paused her writing to whisper to the kneeling attendant (kumaro), who listens intently while sneaking a look at the letter. Their coy expressions suggest an awareness of watching crowd.

This work is from the series, The Twelve Hours in the Yoshiwara (Seirô jûni toki tsuzuki).