Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳

A woman prepares to board a boat, lifting her skirts as she descends to the riverbank. These actions appear to mirror the image of the monk on a boat in the inset on the upper left. The title of this print and the series it is from indicate that it was designed to instruct contemporary women on proper etiquette. In a time when censors prohibited portrayals of courtesans and women of the pleasure quarters, Kuniyoshi adapted by producing images of virtuous women. Many of these prints, however, contained sarcastic undertones, designed to mock the authorities.