Erotica; Compendium Guide to the Brothels of Osaka 1765 - 1775

Kitao Shigemasa created this compendium guide to the brothels of Osaka with ink on paper. Although undated, its creation aligns with the Edo period in Japan, a time of economic growth and flourishing urban culture that also saw strict social hierarchies. This guide offers a glimpse into a world where pleasure and commerce intersected. The figures are rendered with a delicate hand, yet the scenes depicted challenge traditional norms of female representation. They invite us to consider the lives of the women in Osaka’s pleasure quarters. These women navigated a society that simultaneously marginalized and celebrated them. While seemingly a straightforward guide, the emotional undercurrent suggests a complex interplay of desire, power, and identity. Shigemasa presents an alternative narrative of the floating world. This both reflects and shapes the societal issues surrounding gender and class during the Edo period.