Title: Defying the Censorship Author: Alejandra Freile Date: March 10, 2012 Institution name/journal where submitted: Dartmouth College The use of this database indicates agreement to the terms and conditions Academia is a database that promotes the free exchange of exceptional ideas and scholarly work, setting a platform on which to foment and improve student discourse 1
Yoshiwara Sparrows Temporary Nest, Saka suzume negura no kariyado (1844) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi(1798-1861) 2
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) is one of the most important Japanese print artists of the 19th century. He was born in Edo (current day Tokyo) and he worked as an artist for almost 50 years. Kuniyoshi s creativity pushed across boundaries; the images he created became so popular that quite often men would ask him to tattoo his designs on their bodies. 1 Even though the artist created a wide range of products, including Surimono ( printed thing ), Kachoga ( flower and bird picture ), Shunga ( spring picture ), book illustrations, Western-style landscape paintings, and prints featuring diverse themes, he is mostly recognized for his production of musha-e, warrior prints, and Giga, humorous pictures. 2 His wide range of works not only shows his versatility as an artist, but also his extremely rich creativity and unending novelty. When the Tenpô reforms of 1842 banned prints of beautiful women and kabuki actors in Japan, Kuniyoshi in addition to producing numerous prints depicting warriors and legends revealed his nerve and daring by producing his cleverly constructed and satirical Giga prints. His colorful scenes won over the censorship: the implicit symbols he created were subtle enough for the authorities to permit their publication and distribution, but audacious enough for his highly literate audience to grasp the prohibited themes implied. 3 One of his famous works of Giga is the triptych Yoshiwara Sparrows Temporary Nest, (Saka suzume negura no kariyado) (1844). Kuniyoshi s technical abilities are also exceptionally inventive: his three-panel compositions revolutionized Japanese art by spreading one image over an entire triptych. 4 This triptych, composed of three oban-sized prints, is a parody of the Yoshiwara district in Edo also known as the pleasure district, for its market of courtesans. Through a vivid array of colors, the 1 Fiorillo, J. (2010). Utagawa Kuniyoshi. Viewing Japanese Prints. Retrieved February 16, 12. From: http://www.viewingjapaneseprints.net/texts/ukiyoetexts/ukiyoe_pages/kuniyoshi3.html 2 Idem 3 Scholastic Art. (2003). Utagawa Kuniyoshi. Research Library. 34(2), 4-5. Retrieved February 16, 12. Available from: http://www.proquest.com/. Document ID: 453397601. 4 Lubow, A. (2010). Everything but the Robots: A Kuniyoshi Retrospective Reveals the Roots of Manga. Research Library, ProQuest. Retrieved February 16, 12. Available from: http://www.proquest.com/. Document ID: 1978378871 3
artist represents the daily-life in the district of Yoshiwara with personified male and female sparrows. In this scene, the crowd of sparrows looking at the courtesan display is shown on the street in the foreground, while the courtesan sparrows sit inside the brothel s display room, awaiting their prospective customers. The artist embodies the social culture by accurately depicting the thrilling scene of the brothel district. It is quite humorous that even though the courtesans and the costumers are illustrated as sparrows, viewers can easily identify their classes and status. For the courtesans, Kuniyoshi portrays their rank by the size of their body and their clothing larger sized bodies and garments that are more luxurious represent higher rank. For example, the robust courtesan wearing a lavish blue kimono appears to be of higher status than the two courtesans at her sides. In addition, the five courtesan ranks are distinguishable in this brothel picture. The smaller sparrows that are moving around, engaged in servicing activities, are probably shinzo ( adolescent attendants ) or kamuro ( pre-adolescent attendants ), while the larger sparrows worthily waiting at the back are probably chusan (highly ranked courtesan required to sit on public view) or zashikimochi ( parlor object, courtesan assigned one or two kamuro depending on status). For example, the small sparrow who is communicating with a sparrow in the street appears to be a kamuro who was commanded to buy something from a salesman outside. Meanwhile, the accessories worn by the salesman give us a hint of his identity: the fabric wrapped around his head demonstrates that he is from a low class, and the bag he carries in his arm suggests that he might be a traveler seller. Just as in his accurate portrayal of the brothel activities, Kuniyoshi captures a truthful picture of the street life in the Yoshiwara. The details in the garments and the specified activities of the characters reveal their identities. For example, we can understand that if Kuniyoshi has 4
taken the painstaking effort to design a detailed texture into a robe, it means that the character is probably important, meaning, of a high status. Moreover, the range of skin shades featured among the sparrows could also be an indicator of class the paler the complexion, the higher the rank. Using these distinctions, the artist portrays the wide range of consumers that visit the brothel. Among them, for example, we can see low class men wearing a type of cloth in their heads, laborers with tattooed bodies, high-class men wearing luxurious and elaborate garments, and samurai depicted with their swords. In addition, Kuniyoshi shows other types of people that commonly circuit the Yoshiwara streets. For example, the artist includes a restaurant delivery servant at the bottom-left corner of the print; the name of the restaurant is visible in his garments and he carries in his shoulders a type of portable table in which he delivers food. We can appreciate Kuniyoshi s humor in the precise representation of Yoshiwara s liveliness and in the fact that the sparrows portray human emotions in their expressions. For instance, two sparrows located at the bottom center of the print seem to be enjoying from an engaging conversation or gossip. It is very interesting to question Kuniyoshi s selection of sparrows to represent Yoshiwara s population. While Kuniyoshi repeatedly used cats as people in many of his Giga prints, here, the sparrows which are a common bird in Japan may symbolize the growing popularity of Edo and the everydayness of the brothel district. The intriguing but significant imitation of Edo s brothel district in Yoshiwara Sparrows Temporary Nest, reveal Kuniyoshi s inventiveness and audacity in his creation of Giga. 5