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How do the illustration relate to the text in each caricatural print from a famous satirical book?
I was told each image is the first-degree illustration of a japanese proverb or saying...but it is not clear for me!

Dear Francis Minvielle,

The Toba-e style plays intentionally with sound, slang, and floating syntax, so I wouldn’t dare attempt a full translation. That said, here’s the general gist of the first piece:

A man is drowning in paperwork, entangled in absurdly long scrolls of text. His near-nakedness is a classic trope in late Edo-period humor, symbolizing vulnerability, foolishness, or social exposure—a nod to the era’s flood of regulations that overwhelmed samurai, merchants, and artisans alike. The other man in the boat either mocks or rescues him, leaning in with a bemused posture. His critique is clear: the drowning man foolishly tried to "read everything," and now look where he’s ended up.

The dialogue likely plays on stock phrases, something like:
“When you drown in words, you sink faster than in water.”
Or perhaps:
“Things such as refuse are not what they seem. / Neither are rivers truly rivers. / Looking toward the shrine of Shiranu Miyakawara, a boat is seen...”

This serves as a metaphor for the bureaucratic or scholarly burdens of the Edo period—an overwhelming deluge of documents and duties.

In the second work, hair serves as a symbol of identity, dignity, and social status. Cutting or pulling it was a gesture of profound humiliation, but here it’s rendered as slapstick comedy. A man holds a wig or massive strands of hair he’s just yanked from another figure’s head—an exaggerated, absurd spectacle. The accompanying text might read:

“That fellow, sitting there all high and mighty… then suddenly slipping onto his backside like a fool! The others burst into laughter, rolling around. First a shout of ‘Aats!’, then another. With all their strength, they tug—one grabbing his gray hairs, another his topknot. Then—bang, bang!—off it comes with a mighty pull...”

The repetitive onomatopoeia ("ten ton," "don don," "tonton") mimics drumming or striking, heightening the physical comedy like a kabuki skit or carnival act. Funny, right?

At the bottom left, I believe it reads:
亜福製画 (“Picture made by Afuku”)—likely a humorous pseudonym, as Afuku literally means “Sub-Fortune” or “Fake Fortune.” A fitting touch of self-mockery for the genre.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Best regards,
Renato

Interesting translation experiment with a very rich imagination.
If I ever have the time and inclination, I will translate it.

The artist's name at the bottom left reads,
芳梅戲画　-　Yoshiume giga -　Caricature picture from Yoshiume*

* Utagawa Yoshiume

With regards,
I.Nagy

Thank you!
I will wait and see if you have "time and inclination".
I understand nothing is sure, but I can wait...

In any case, tons of admiration for your friendly and scholarly contributions!

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