Utagawa Kunisada Japanese, 1786-1864 from the series: Inside the Sixty-Plus Japanese Prefectures-Izo, ca. 1845 Published by Amita-ya Kiyoyemon of Shimmei-mae (Yuyeido) With watari censor seal of Watanabe Jiyemon Nishiki-e (color woodblock print) Oban format Signed: Toyokuni III Museum Collection A woman looks surprised as she leans down to retrieve a letter from a little messenger dog. Her long sleeves indicate her unmarried status. The sender of the letter is probably the very romantic young man in the inset. A ritualized love that communicates largely through love poems indicates a culture of distant intimacy! The insets in these prints give them a post-modern or split-screen effect. Yearning for someone over great distances is a sadly lovely and somewhat Buddhist theme in Japanese and Chinese art and poetry. Is female/male love purer at a distance?