Setsubun, Tani Buncho, 1773 - 1842
sumi and light colour on paper, h 34cm × w 58.5cm More details
Setsubun is part of the Japanese New Year’s celebration. Beans are then strewn about as a symbol of purity and to drive away evil spirits. Here, in a comic twist, this is done by Shoki, the mythical vanquisher of ghosts and evil spirits. The painter Tani Buncho was a master in figure studies. He sketched the exorcist and the little demon with an unerring brush.
