Totsuka

Artist

Tamenobu Fujikawa (Japanese, active circa 1910-1920)

Date

1918

Medium

Woodblock print

Dimensions

Sheet : 9 9/16 x 14 in. (24.29 x 35.56 cm)

Credit Line

Hope College Collection

Object Number

2014.13.7

Label

Yaji and Kita spend their first night on the road in the town of Totsuka. To deter the local prostitutes from propositioning them, the two travelers pretend to be a father and son who are looking for rooms in a reputable hostel. When they stop for tea at a shop in the center of town, Kita is distracted by the sight of beautiful women walking by on the street and slides to the end of their bench to get a better view. When Yaji stands up, the bench tips over and dumps Kita on the ground, calling attention to his leering looks and ruining the respectable image the pair had been trying to convey.