According to legend, poet Ono no Komachi received a letter from the emperor asking if she missed being at court. By changing only one character, Komachi was able to answer the question with an emphatic yes. This story is referred to as “Parrot Komachi” because of the bird’s talent for repetition. Here a courtesan hands a letter to her assistant, while a parrot is pictured on the standing screen behind her. As with many of the prints in this gallery, this image is a mitate-e (parody picture), in which the actions of modern figures refer to famed episodes in Komachi’s life. The poem written above reads:

The cloud-capped palace
Where I lived long ago
Has not changed at all:
But I saw through my bead curtains—
Yes, I think fondly of that!

(Translation by Louise Virgin