The Shadow of Bagua Lurking in Yoshiwara in the Afternoon: A Quiet Afternoon as the Lovers Peep into the Future (Late Edo Period)

The Shadow of Bagua Lurking in Yoshiwara in the Afternoon: A Quiet Afternoon as the Lovers Peep into the Future (Late Edo Period)
In the late afternoon, Yoshiwara was enveloped in a tranquility that differed from the splendor of the night. Because there were few customers, the prostitutes spent their time answering letters, fixing their makeup, and doing other chores, but were somewhat at a loose end. The scene of a fortune teller stopping them as they wandered by and having them spread out their mats of bamboo to make bagua readings reflects the kind of simple woman that only appears in Yoshiwara in the daytime. The fortune teller reads the fortune using a bagua board and a piece of wood, and the prostitute offers a small coin wrapped in a coin. The fortune-telling was often about the movements of familiar customers, how many customers would show up tonight, when the new year would begin, and other serious issues directly related to daily life. In contrast to the glamorous night, the faces of the prostitutes at this time of night reveal a simple anxiety and hope, away from their professional roles. Yos
hiwara Hosomi, Morisada Manuscripts, and Ukiyoe also depict the figure of a fortune teller, indicating that fortune telling was deeply rooted in the city at that time. For prostitutes, who lived in a world where the future could easily be swayed by the convenience of others, bagua-measurement was not merely a way to pass the time, but also an act of searching for a glimmer of light. The sound of matsutake (bamboo mats) echoing in Yoshiwara during the daytime gently illuminated the fluctuations that lurked deep within the hearts of these women.