Wakamurasaki of the Kadotamaya 1790 - 1810

Chōkōsai Eishō created this woodblock print, "Wakamurasaki of the Kadotamaya," in the late 18th century, during the Edo period in Japan, when ukiyo-e prints flourished. This image depicts a courtesan, a woman of pleasure, who was a celebrated figure in Japanese society, her beauty and style emblems of the era's aesthetic values. Yet, the life of a courtesan was one of confinement and commodification, their identities both celebrated and constrained by social expectations. We see Wakamurasaki holding a goldfish bowl, perhaps a metaphor for her own gilded cage. There is an emotional complexity to the piece; the courtesan's delicate features and refined attire hinting at a life lived under constant scrutiny and performance. The goldfish, trapped in its glass bowl, becomes a poignant symbol of human desire and the search for freedom within confinement.