Japan: A man is accosted by a yotaka 'night hawk' or street walker in late Tokugawa period Edo. Utagawa Sadakage (c.1818-1844), 1832

A low-class prostitute, or yotaka (literally 'night hawk') tries to lure a low ranking samurai retainer (yakko) by tugging at his sash. She carries a straw mat so that she can provide her services under the stars.

The first poem on the print puns on the word taka, literally 'hawk', and yotaka, 'nighthawk prostitute'. The last line meaning the strings attached to a hawk while hunting (Taka no ashigawa) can also mean the strap by which a samurai attaches his dagger to his sash.

The second poem plays on the convention of seeing a hawk in a New Year's dream, but here the hawk is the prostitute.

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Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

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Pictures From History

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