julian peters comics

Kadukaripaza (Karipaza Square) in the Korkidèh neighbourhood is one of the most appealing spots in all the imperial capital. The square is lined on three sides with two-storey whitewashed buildings, all of which have a row of arcades running along the ground floor. Underneath these arcades are several inexpensive restaurants known as nopichi, which specialize in various forms of kovenesiko, dishes of raw fish in fermented fish sauce. Kovenesiko, a name which means “old and new,” are usually enjoyed with a glass of resinated white wine, with which the nopichi are abundantly stocked. The fourth side of the square gives out directly onto the waters of Rejoma Bay.  This has led to the Karipaza being described as Sensuka’s “dining room on the sea.”

At the centre of the square is the Najiri (Empress) Embarcadero. It is so named because it was built at the behest of the empress Ofisi, the consort of Bulodi II. The structure’s somewhat frilly decorations stand in contrast with the minimalism of the surrounding buildings. It is nonetheless architecturally well-integrated with the rest of square, being also whitewashed and arcaded. From here one can take a ferry to the Island of Rateliska, with its famous pleasure gardens (See n. 22). To the right we see the trail of smoke from the ferryboat, which has just moved off the edge of the picture plane in the direction of the island.

Kadukaripaza is a favourite destination for both tourists and Sensukans. In this view, however, the artist has curiously decided to depict the square almost completely devoid of people. The long, deep shadows indicate a sunny late afternoon, and yet the tables and chairs of the outdoor terraces of the nopichi have all been taken inside, and all the window shutters are closed. Standing under the arcades of the embarcadero is the scene’s only human presence: a tiny silhouetted figure, who is nonetheless casting an enormous shadow all the way across the square, almost to the point where the viewer of the print would be standing. There is an overwhelming feeling that this person is waiting for one, that this is somehow the hour of reckoning that one has long put off. And yet, there is no fear.

In the top left-hand corner of the print we can see the massive Rozusu sea fortress at the end of Korkidèh Point. It is possible that the artist’s decision to depict a deserted square is a play on the fortress’s name, which means “silence.”