"The Young Man's Dream" from the series Profitable Visions in Daydreams of Glory

A wakashū dreams of sleeping with a famous high-class courtesan (evident through her elaborate hairpieces) seen by the cartoon bubble over his head while a young woman wraps a jacket around his shoulders. This print shows that there’s this desire from wakashū of the typical tendencies of a male wanting to be cared for by a courtesan, showing that they are not choosing to be an object of sexual desire for men if they are dreaming of something else. We also see a form of submissiveness from the wakashū, different from how they usually are with women as they are more often seen taking the active role with women. The print shows a more masculine side of wakashū as it is similar to how a man would act when visiting the Yoshiwara district, wanting to be pleasured by the most prestigious courtesan, and wearing a kimono that’s a dull grey rather than a colorful one that a courtesan or woman would wear. As all wakashū had a strong relationship primarily with an older man who was their mentor and a main sexual partner, we don’t see a lot of examples showing wakashū as individuals with a separate identity, with personal preferences or opinions. However, this piece gives insight into how they wanted to be treated and highlights a perspective rarely seen.

Annie Wen