The Elopement (parody of Akutagawa episode from "Tales of Ise") c. 1767

Suzuki Harunobu created this woodblock print, "The Elopement," sometime in the mid-18th century. At its heart, the image portrays a tender and secretive moment: a man carrying a woman across a shallow river beneath a weeping willow. The weeping willow, with its drooping branches, speaks of melancholy and hidden love, a motif we see echoed across cultures, from ancient Roman poetry to later pre-Raphaelite paintings. Here, its presence casts a shadow of bittersweet emotion over the couple’s escape, a visual metaphor for the uncertainties they face. Notice the lantern in the man's hand. Light has always been a symbol of hope but also of revelation. It is a beacon in the night, guiding them, yet it also risks exposing their clandestine flight. This tension between hope and risk, secrecy and exposure, is a powerful force engaging viewers on a subconscious level. The image transcends its immediate context, resurfacing throughout history, evolving and taking on new meanings, all while retaining that original core of human emotion.