Courtisane Shinohara uit het Tsuruya huis en de Koya rivier c. 1815

Kikugawa Eizan created this woodblock print, "Courtisane Shinohara uit het Tsuruya huis en de Koya rivier," during the Edo period. The print offers us a window into the complex world of the courtesans in Japan. Eizan, working within the Ukiyo-e tradition, wasn't just creating pretty pictures; he was participating in a visual culture that both celebrated and scrutinized the lives of women in the pleasure quarters. Shinohara, adorned in elaborate robes, becomes a figure through which we can examine the intersections of gender, class, and artistic representation. These prints were popular among the merchant classes, who were rising in economic power but were often excluded from traditional forms of social status. By depicting the courtesans, figures of both desire and social ambiguity, artists like Eizan were negotiating complex social hierarchies and desires. The image invites us to consider how women, especially those in marginalized positions, were seen and how they navigated the spaces they occupied.