Parody of the Story of Narukami

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The subject of this print is a parody of the Kabuki play Narukami . In the story, a priest magically imprisons a demon within a waterfall. A woman seduces the priest to learn his secret and breaks the spell. Here, the priest is represented by a young man who holds a bell used by pilgrims. Behind him is the roaring waterfall. In this print, the imperial reign name and cyclical name for the year are written in the grassy slope. Numbers of the long months of the year form the outlines on his robe, and those for the short months form the woman’s garment.

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