Dutch Woman

"Dutch Woman" presents the rare figure of a European woman in Kawakami's Nagasaki-themed prints — rare because Dutch women were generally not permitted at Dejima, making the few European women who appeared in Japan during the sakoku period objects of particular fascination. The image may be based on historical sources, a fantasy, or the figure of a woman who arrived during Japan's opening to the West. Kawakami treats her with the same affectionate curiosity he brings to all his Western subjects — a figure of charming foreignness.