Genre Scenes (Fūzoku byōbu)

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The large building complex depicted here contains a bathhouse, teahouse, kitchen, puppet-show theater, and a games room. Inside, commoners and aristocrats alike enjoy the various forms of entertainment, while outside, people dance, play music, and wrestle. A kasamawashi, a street performer who balances objects on a spinning umbrella, performs to the left of the dancers. In scenes of merriment like this one, Japanese artists often depicted figures fighting—this painting includes a sumo match and people arguing over a game of shōgi—to emphasize the heightened levels of energy and excitement.

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