Żywot kobiety swawolnej

The Life of an Amorous Woman

ichidai ona is one of the best-known novels of the seventeenth-century Japanese writer Ihara Saikaku. It consists of six volumes, each containing six stories and illustrated by Yoshida Hanbeia. It shows the story of life and love of the titled, nameless character. It is a confession of a nun, born in an aristocratic family, raised at the court, educated in arts, who becomes a daimyō concubine. When sold, she finds herself in a brothel, where she pursues a courtesan career.

Keywords: seventeenth-century novel, Japanese literature, Japanese nun-courtesan, Kōshoku ichidai onna.