Group portrait of an elegant Japanese woman in a kago (palanquin) carried by two bearers. The bearers have traditional hairstyles and clothing and are holding ikizue (breath sticks) to regulate their breathing while walking. They are wearing straw sandals. A paper umbrella is placed on the roof, the common place to put the luggage of passengers.

Thank you so much for being able to view these wonderful prints. I am putting together a blog on my walk on the Nakasendo Way and hope to use one or two with appropriate referencing to this site.

# Delwyn Tatton · 2009-01-23

Hi Delwyn, many thanks for your nice words. Please fee free to use the snippets made available under “Blog This” on the permanent page of the article. By the way, I love the Nakasendo and visit whenever I can!

# Kjeld Duits · 2009-01-23

I can’t say I’m 100% sure but I think that the woman in kago is a prostitute. I’ve seen the same photo in a higher quality and you can see characteristic hair ornaments. Also clothes suggest that she is a prostitute.

# Agata · 2009-01-31

I think you are right, Agata. After I wrote this I also saw this image in a better condition and it does look like she is a prostitute. I will see if I can buy this photo again, but better preserved.

# Kjeld Duits · 2009-01-31

I also compared this photo to another one. It seems that these are the same people, only the scene is different. Then you can 100% tell the woman is a prostitute – just look at those extreme clogs in the left corner of the photo.

# Agata · 2009-01-31

Thanks. They do look very similar. Although the kago appears to be slightly different. It doesn’t have an umbrella on top either. I never saw that image before—it is very snap-like, I like it.

# Kjeld Duits · 2009-02-02