Night Rain at Gankirō (Gankirō yoru no ame), from the series Eight Views of Yokohama, Bushu (Bushu Yokohama hakkei no uchi), published by Yamadaya Shōjirō Possibly 1861

Curator: What strikes me first about this print is the uneasy blend of cultures—the resolute Western figures and the Japanese courtesan caught in the same frame. Editor: Indeed. This woodblock print, titled "Night Rain at Gankiro" from the series "Eight Views of Yokohama, Bushu," was created by Utagawa Yoshitora. It depicts the Gankiro pleasure district. The Westerners seem almost superimposed, don't they? They’re stiff, like cardboard cutouts amid the implied rain. Curator: Exactly! They bring this feeling of colonial imposition, of being out of sync and a little awkward, while the courtesan seems to float effortlessly. I feel a contrast in their worlds that makes me melancholy. Editor: Perhaps the artist saw it that way too, or perhaps it was simply a reflection of the times, of Yokohama as a treaty port. Either way, it’s a visually arresting piece, laden with the tensions of cultural exchange. Curator: I can't help but wonder what the lady is thinking with all of them around her. Editor: A silent movie in the making, full of longing and unanswered questions.