Sex and Suffering: The Tragic Life of the Courtesan in Japan’s Floating World

By Lisa Hix It’s difficult to get a window into the world of Edo-Period Japanese prostitutes without the gauzy romantic filter of the male gaze. The artworks in the new San Francisco Asian Art Museum exhibition, “Seduction: Japan’s Floating World,” were made by men for men, the patrons of the Yoshiwara pleasure district outside of … Continue reading Sex and Suffering: The Tragic Life of the Courtesan in Japan’s Floating World