The Courtesan Itsuhata with Her Pipe

Suzuki Harunobu created this woodblock print titled, *The Courtesan Itsuhata with Her Pipe*, in Japan in the 18th century. At this time, courtesans, known as *yūjo*, were celebrities, and Harunobu elevated the status of *ukiyo-e* prints through his artistic depictions of them. Itsuhata is rendered with a demure, introspective gaze. The poem inscribed beside her is, in fact, about longing. The red of her robe is echoed in the red of her collar, a symbol of her profession, drawing attention to her economic status as a woman in Edo society. Yet, there is also a vulnerability in the work, a quiet melancholy. Harunobu does not shy away from traditional representations of women, however, he doesn’t sensationalize them. Rather, he invites us to contemplate the complexities of a courtesan’s identity—her beauty, her profession, and her inner world.