宮川一笑筆　島原の節分図|Shimabara Courtesans Exorcizing Demons

Miyagawa Isshō

second half of the 18th century · Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

Two young, brightly dressed courtesans and an older lady—whose puffed-out cheeks resemble those of the auspicious maiden Otafuku—are performing the ritual act of tossing beans to exorcize evil as part of the Setsubun Festival, celebrated on the eve of the beginning of spring. While tossing beans, people shout, “Out with the demons, in with good luck” (Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi). Here the artist has literally shown demons fleeing the courtesans and elderly attendant, who stand behind the lattice windows of a brothel. The senryū (seventeen-syllable humorous poem) playfully suggests that for a courtesan of the Shimabara pleasure quarters in Kyoto, the best New Year’s dream would be for a treasure boat to arrive in the form of a wealthy client. There was a custom of placing a picture of a treasure boat under one’s pillow on New Year’s Eve to ensure an auspicious dream. The poem reads: Shimabara no yume ni teki nashi takarabune Nothing rivals the dream of a Shimabara courtesan— brought by a treasure boat. —Kikusai (with handwritten seal) (Trans. John T. Carpenter)

Artist

Miyagawa Isshō

Date

second half of the 18th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015