NHK's educational program "Ukiyo-e EDO-LIFE" will feature ukiyo-e prints linked to the story every week to help viewers enjoy the station's historical drama "UNBOUND (Berabou)" more deeply. On December 19th, "The World of UNBOUND: Utamaro's Emoji Beauty Against the Shogunate's Regulations!" will be broadcast on BS Premium 4K from 6pm and on Educational TV from 11:50pm.
This time, we will introduce "Famous Beauty Puzzle Picture Collection: Takashima Ohisa, Two-Panel Mirror," a work that Utamaro created around 1795, despite being circumvented by the shogunate.
The paintings of town girls published by the Tsutaju/Utamaro duo were extremely popular at the time. The shogunate banned the inclusion of girls' names in ukiyo-e prints in an attempt to crack down on moral corruption. However, Utamaro actually created pictures that circumvented this regulation. In the corner of a portrait of a beautiful woman seen from behind, there is a small picture. This is actually called a "hanji-e," a riddle in which words are represented by pictures.
Upon reading the book, we discover that this beautiful woman is a famous town girl who is well known to everyone. We also learn what she is doing now, but there is a surprising secret...
