Tetsukuri no Tamagawa on the Musashino Plain 1790 - 1810

Utagawa Toyokuni I created this woodblock print, *Tetsukuri no Tamagawa on the Musashino Plain*, which pictures women working along a river. The piece reflects the cultural values and gender roles of Japan during the Edo period, which lasted from the early 17th to mid-19th century. The women are shown engaged in domestic activities like washing textiles, alluding to the labor typically performed by women in this period. The river is a site of work but also perhaps one of social interaction. The natural setting suggests a connection to the land and the resources it provides. While the print romanticizes labor as an everyday, beautiful part of life, it also subtly reinforces the social hierarchy and expectations of women's roles. We can consider how class and gender intertwine in this idealized view of labor, prompting us to reflect on the lives of the working women during the Edo period, and the emotional experience of those who were subjected to the rigid social norms.