['Katsugorô fighting, wife under waterfall', 'Seven calligraphic models for each character in the kana syllabary'] 1856

This woodblock print was made by Utagawa Kunisada, and it depicts Katsugorô fighting while his wife appears under a waterfall. Waterfalls in Japanese art and folklore, like the one here, often serve as a threshold between worlds, a place of purification, and a site for encounters with the supernatural. This relates to the ancient Shinto practice of ritual purification under waterfalls, known as Misogi, symbolizing spiritual cleansing. The spectral figure of Katsugorô's wife evokes a sense of the uncanny, reminding us of Ophelia from Shakespeare or even classical portrayals of nymphs near water. The image encapsulates profound grief and longing, universal human emotions, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. As the waterfall transforms the space in the artwork, so too does cultural memory transform symbols, creating new meanings across time.