Three Water Carriers at the Shore 1743 - 1812

Katsukawa Shunko’s woodblock print, *Three Water Carriers at the Shore,* offers us a glimpse into the lives of working women in 18th-century Japan. Shunko was a member of the Katsukawa school of ukiyo-e artists, known for their depictions of actors and beautiful women. In this print, Shunko shifts our gaze from the idealized beauty to the everyday labor of women. These figures are not geishas or courtesans, but rather women engaged in the physically demanding work of hauling water. We see them as laborers, their bodies bent under the weight of their burdens. Here, Shunko diverges from traditional representations of women, offering instead a view of the working class. The sun rising over the horizon could suggest both the start of a long day of work, and the hope that lies in the everyday. Their work connects them to the natural world, while the print connects us to their daily struggles.