A Votive Picture to Be Donated to the Kannon of Asakusa (Asakusa Kannon hō kakegaku no zu), by Takigawa of the Ōgiya, Kamuro Menami and Onami, with Tomikawa, Kumegawa, Tamagawa, Tsugawa, Utagawa, and Kiyokawa 1790 - 1810

This votive picture was made in Japan by Kitagawa Kikumaro using woodblock printing. This technique involves carving a design into a block of wood, inking it, and then pressing paper against it to transfer the image. The print shows courtesans and their attendants creating a votive tablet as a gift to the Kannon of Asakusa, a Buddhist deity of mercy. The design on the large tablet is carefully painted by a courtesan, while the others prepare ink, paint, and other materials, like the calligraphy on the tablet. The image speaks to the intersection of labor, leisure, and religious practice. Woodblock printing was a labor-intensive commercial practice. The production of prints like this involved the coordinated work of designers, carvers, printers, and publishers, which allowed mass production of artworks. By focusing on the modes of production, we can begin to understand the complex social and economic relationships involved in the creation and consumption of art in Edo-period Japan.