Courtesans bathing from a series of pre-print drawings of scenes in a bordello (1786-1864)

This drawing reveals courtesans bathing in a bordello and using the toilet in a very unflattering manner. Figures bathing, squatting, and cleaning their genitals, contributes to the shock and discomfort likely experienced by the viewers for seeing this very private moment from a voyeuristic perspective. This shows a unique side to depictions of courtesans which were often portrayed as ideals of beauty and femininity. The genre of grotesque art in the early nineteenth century saw a rise of popularity as appetite for the erotic and grotesque grew prevalence and increased audience in theatrical contrivances. However censorship after the Tenpō Reform deemed Toyokuni’s pictures as damaging to the public and they never progressed to carver and printer’s shops preventing them from being published as prints.