Lovers on the Veranda

Suzuki Harunobu, Lovers on the Veranda, c. 1767, woodblock print, ink and color on paper, 27.4 x 21 cm

Suzuki Harunobu’s Lovers on the Veranda capture an intimate moment shared between a courtesan and wakashu as a kamuro peeks from behind the shoji screen doors. The wakashu sits on the veranda, feet dangling, while the courtesan crouches above, apparently whispering in the wakashu’s ear. One might be able to discern the subtle gender role reversal here, as the courtesan adopts a more sexually dominant role, whereas the wakashu appears submissive and docile. While this is particularly apparent in the courtesan’s grabbing of the wakashu’s wrist, the visual height distinction between the two might also implicate an unorthodox power dynamic. Interestingly, Harunobu also actively works to sexualize the wakashu in his print. This can be observed through the depiction of their thin wrists and delicate hands. Additionally, in the casual swinging of their legs, their garment is left ever so slightly open, exposing their extended leg and foot, inviting a provocative spectacle for the viewer to witness. The audience, then, is prompted to ask: is the beauty representative of the courtesans––the feminine ideal––universal, transgressing the boundaries of the gender binary? And, are wakashu perceived as the greater refined paragon to the feminine ideal?