Love that Meets Each Night (Yo-goto ni au koi) from the series Anthology of Poems: The Love Section (Kasen koi no bu) c. 1793 - 1794

Editor: This is Kitagawa Utamaro's woodblock print, "Love that Meets Each Night," part of his series "Anthology of Poems: The Love Section." She seems lost in thought, clutching what looks like a love letter. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Notice how the poem itself becomes a talisman, charged with the energy of longing and anticipation. The tightly wound scroll mirrors the controlled tension in her posture, doesn't it? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I see it now! The scroll almost seems like a stand-in for the absent lover. Curator: Precisely. In this context, the poem transcends mere words. It becomes a physical link, imbued with the promise—or perhaps the anxiety—of reunion. How does this affect your viewing of the print? Editor: It adds a layer of emotional weight, makes it more intimate. Thanks, I'll remember that!