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Young Man and a Watatsumi (Silk-puller) Prostitute

Suzuki Haruji Japanese
ca. 1770
Not on view
A young man seated on a veranda speaks to a woman opening a sliding door. In her room, the presence of a black lacquered nuri-oke, a device used to stretch and form silk, suggests that she is a watatsumi (silk-puller) prostitute. A type of low-ranking unlicensed sex worker operating from her own shop, the watatsumi textile worker used her profession as a cover for her clandestine sex work.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Young Man and a Watatsumi (Silk-puller) Prostitute
  • Artist: Suzuki Haruji (Japanese, active ca. 1770)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: ca. 1770
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: Hashira-e; 26 3/4 x 4 5/8 in. (67.9 x 11.7 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
  • Object Number: JP2456
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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