Yaoya O Shichi Standing, Holding a Love Letter and a Battledore 1738 - 1758

Okumura Masanobu’s “Yaoya O Shichi Standing, Holding a Love Letter and a Battledore” is a woodblock print depicting a young woman who has become legendary in Japanese folklore. This image creates meaning through cultural references. O Shichi was a greengrocer's daughter who, according to legend, started a fire in Edo—modern Tokyo—in 1683 to be with a temple page she had fallen in love with. Masanobu’s image suggests O Shichi’s youth and beauty but also refers to the Edo period’s strict social structures. The battledore, often used in New Year's games, and the love letter hint at themes of youth, love, and perhaps transience. The print encourages us to examine the public role of art, particularly in memorializing figures who challenged social norms, as O Shichi did. Careful historical research can uncover the complex interplay between folklore, social history, and artistic expression, helping us understand how Edo-period society grappled with themes of love, duty, and social transgression.