Shimabara Courtesans Exorcizing Demons

second half of the 18th century

Not on view

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)

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

宮川一笑筆　島原の節分図
Title: Shimabara Courtesans Exorcizing Demons
Artist: Miyagawa Isshō (Japanese, 1689–1780)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: second half of the 18th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 34 1/4 × 10 1/2 in. (87 × 26.6 cm)
Overall with mounting: 72 5/8 × 15 13/16 in. (184.5 × 40.2 cm)
Overall with knobs: 72 5/8 × 18 1/8 in. (184.5 × 46 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Object Number: 2015.300.132
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Courtesan on Parade, Miyagawa Isshō Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink, color and gold on silk, Japan — Courtesan on Parade
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