A closer look
Cancel culture in Edo Japan involved a lot less internet drama and a lot more iron manacles. During the strict Kansei Reforms, the shogunate decided the hedonistic 'floating world' culture was ruining society and banned ukiyo-e artists from depicting modern political figures or excessive luxury. The legendary printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro thought he was being clever by painting a banned 16th-century warlord instead, but the government saw through the historical loophole. They brutally shackled him in handcuffs for fifty days, a physical punishment that ultimately broke his spirit and ended his career.
