utabikuni　歌比丘尼

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Lit. singing nuns. A type of mid-Edo period (18c) prostitute who dressed to resemble Buddhist nuns (bikuni) and chanted the nenbutsu 念仏, set phrases of invocation and praise to *Amida 阿弥陀 to attract customers. With shaved heads, and wearing silk cowls and wide sashes (obi 帯), these women would wander through the streets of major towns ostensibly selling amulets from Mt. Kumano 熊野. The term utabikuni originated in the Muromachi period when it designated nuns from the Kumano area to travel the country explaining Buddhist stories often employing pictures to win converts. Also called etoki bikuni 絵解比丘尼 or kanjin bikuni 勧進比丘尼, they gradually added elements of romance to spice up their narratives. Over time, love as related to salvation changed to love (and sex) for money, the real basis of their profession. Utabikuni were depicted in late 17c and 18c *fuuzokuga 風俗画, appearing in screens and scrolls depicting urban life and as the sole subjects of hanging scrolls such as one in the MOA Museum, Atami.

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