Rethinking ‘Beauties’: Women and Humor in the Late Edo Tōkaidō gojūsan tsui

Abstract

The Tōkaidō gojūsan tsui (1844-1847, 東海道五十三対) is a Japanese ukiyo-e prints series created in collaboration by three of the foremost Japanese print artists of the nineteenth century: Hiroshige (1797-1858), Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), and Kunisada (1786-1864). The Tōkaidō gojūsan tsui differs from other, mostly earlier, series on the theme of stations along the Tōkaidō Road such as landscapes, or beauties set in landscapes, by taking historical legends and folklore as its predominant subject matter, and combining figures and landscape. A literal rendition of the title of the series is ‘Fifty-three Pairings along the Tōkaidō Road.’ Timothy Clark suggests that the term tsui 対, ‘pairings,’ might refer to the linking of a legendary event, or some subject associated with the place, to each station of the highway.2 Writ large, this series may be read as a compendium of encounters en route. Many of the figures depicted in the scene for each station are themselves travellers, some famous, others ordinary folk. While the majority of the prints in the series depict male subjects, or illustrate scenes that include both men and women, there are a fair number that depict individual women. In addition to the portrayal of noted women of history, paramours of famous military heroes, supernatural female figures of traditional folklore, and female ghosts, the Tōkaidō gojūsan tsui depicts anonymous women performing daily activities, primarily in transit or at labour. In the case of anonymous women, humour and beauty work in tandem to engage the viewer’s imagination.