Posted by John Fiorillo on October 04, 1998 at 21:00:49:
In Reply to: beautiful women prints posted by AU on October 04, 1998 at 20:27:19:
: I often see prints of women (Geishas?)biting on a piece of cloth? I'm sure it has some meaning, but what???
: Thank you
Response from JF:
Biting down on a cloth is a conventional gesture found in the kabuki theater that is often depicted in ukiyo-e in both theatrical and non-theatrical subjects. It signifies that the woman is experiencing some strong emotion (anger, shame, love, fear, and so on). It often implies that the outward expression of such emotion would be inappropriate, hence the biting down on a cloth to temper the demonstrative display of strong feelings.