No. 7: Votive paintings of Six Immortal poets, flying geese, and a pagoda made of coins, from the series "Seven Pictures for the Hisakataya (Hisakataya shichiban no uchi)" c. 1810s

This color woodblock print, made by Kubo Shunman, presents a microcosm of cultural symbols within its intimate frame. Dominating the composition is the symbolic pagoda constructed of coins, a potent emblem of prosperity and aspiration within the Edo period's burgeoning merchant culture. Consider how the flying geese motif, often linked to seasonal transitions and melancholic journeys, reappear across cultures, bearing messages of change and impermanence. They echo, perhaps unconsciously, across time in myriad forms, from ancient migratory patterns to the modern longing for distant horizons. The pagoda, a tower made of coins, is like the Tower of Babel; it represents the desire to reach the divine, or, in this instance, perhaps a collective, deeply rooted desire for wealth and stability. These desires, seemingly material, resonate with our innermost longings and fears, drawing us into a non-linear narrative that transcends the individual and speaks to the collective.