Geisha looking up at a cuckoo, from the series "Five Annual Festivals for the Katsushika Circle (Katsushika gosekku)" 1822

Katsushika Taito II created this woodblock print titled "Geisha looking up at a cuckoo, from the series "Five Annual Festivals for the Katsushika Circle (Katsushika gosekku)" in nineteenth-century Japan. We see a Geisha pausing to look up at a cuckoo, a symbol of longing and the arrival of summer. The series reflects the cultural vibrancy of the Katsushika Circle, a literary and artistic group, during a time of social and economic change in Japan. Geishas were entertainers and artists, often acting as symbols of beauty. Here, Taito depicts a Geisha during a moment of rest, offering a glimpse into her private world. The print invites us to reflect on the nuanced role of women in Japanese society. Taito captures a sense of longing, a desire for freedom and escape amidst societal expectations and constraints. In this piece, the artist refrains from simply reproducing traditional images of women, and instead subtly explores themes of identity, desire, and the search for personal expression.