Court Ladies with Caged Pheasant/The Univalve Shell (Katatsugai), from the series Shell-Matching Game with Genroku Poets (Genroku kasen kai-awase) Possibly 1821

Editor: Hokusai's "Court Ladies with Caged Pheasant" is a beautiful print. The ladies' elaborate robes and the caged bird create a feeling of confinement. What symbols do you see present in this image? Curator: The caged pheasant, of course, is a potent symbol. Birds often represent freedom and the soul. Caged, it speaks to constraint, perhaps the limited roles of women in that era. Note also the poetry inscribed above, and the shell painted on the fan—each alludes to memory and longing. Editor: So the pheasant's captivity mirrors the women's societal roles? Curator: Precisely. And it also suggests a desire for escape or transformation, subtly encoded within a seemingly domestic scene. What do you feel that the Univalve shell adds? Editor: I now understand the caged bird as a powerful symbol. Thanks for illuminating that for me.