Three Women Playing Musical Instruments

What you see

The three musicians form a triangle against a plain silk ground. On the left, a woman holds the kokyū upright and plays it with a long bow, her eyes lowered. In the center, with her back to us, another leans over a koto laid on the floor. On the right, the third plucks the shamisen with a plectrum and looks toward the group. There is no furniture or landscape: everything rests on the figures.

The kimonos carry the color, each with its own pattern: blue checks on the left, butterflies on black and a striped sash in the center, grays and yellow flowers on the right. The lines are fine and precise. Look at the hands, each in a different position, and at the hair ornaments.