Prostitute as Mitate of Fugen c. 1720

Okumura Toshinobu, around the 1700s, used ink and color on paper to produce this intriguing scroll painting. It presents a courtesan, styled as Fugen Bosatsu, a Bodhisattva associated with virtue and wisdom, riding on an elephant. The motif of a figure atop an elephant appears across cultures, symbolizing power, royalty, and spiritual insight. We see echoes of this in ancient Indian art and even in depictions of Hannibal crossing the Alps. But here, the symbol is subverted. The sacred elephant becomes a vehicle for a figure from the pleasure district. This juxtaposition is not merely playful; it invites us to reflect on how sacred symbols become entangled with the profane. In the collective memory, the elephant evokes wisdom and strength, yet here, it's entwined with worldly desires. The artist taps into our subconscious, challenging us to confront the evolving and often contradictory nature of symbols. The potent image reminds us that cultural symbols never follow a linear path but resurface, transformed, through the meandering currents of history.