Iranian Women of the Qajar Era in Japanese Woodcuts from the Book by the Engineer and Topographer Naoyuki Furukawa, Describing Japan's First Diplomatic Contact with Iran in 1880 and 1881

Iranian women of the Qajar era in Japanese woodcuts from the book by the engineer and topographer Naoyuki Furukawa, describing Japan's first diplomatic contact with Iran in 1880 and 1881. The mission was carried out under the leadership of Yoshida Masaharu. Besides recounting the incidents of the journey, this travel narrative contains depictions of the sights that most impressed the Japanese.

Japanese diplomats and travellers were deeply struck by the way of life, the architecture and, above all, by the appearance and social order of Persian women of the Qajar period. Furukawa's travel diaries and Yoshida's recollections describe in detail the sharp contrast between the secluded public life of Muslim women and the image they presented at home. The Japanese compared the traditional Persian veil, the chador, with the ancient Japanese garments that concealed the face, such as the kazuki.