Palanquin

A print depicting a palanquin (kago) — the enclosed carrying chair that was the primary mode of formal transportation for women of rank in Edo-period Japan — either in transit with its occupant or as a standalone subject of historical documentation. The palanquin was a charged social object: access to its privacy and the service of bearers signified specific ranks and social positions, and the elaborate protocols governing its use encoded the hierarchical structure of Edo-period society. Chikanobu's historical imagery often uses such period-specific objects to anchor scenes in their correct historical context.