Looking at this picture, what do you think? Surely everyone thinks this is a funny picture, but it is not.
However, in reality, they are real works of art. Behind this seemingly crude expression is a relatively astute look at the political and social changes in Japan.
No one knows the exact identity of the person who created them, it is only known that He-gassen describes the scene where the two factions decide to “lose enough” with each other by ” farting “ on the other side.
The meaning behind that “uncharacteristic” action shows the author’s depth when portraying the ferocity of people’s reactions…
Just as Renaissance painters often left a deep meaning in each work, the meaning behind that “uncourteous” action shows the depth of the author when portraying the ferocity in his reaction. response to European entry into Japan during the Edo period – between 1603 and 1868.
To understand the intention that the author wants to convey through the He-Gassen series of caricatures, we must base on the political and social situation at that time, scientists said.
This was the era of the Tokugawa shogunate, characterized by apprehension about Christianity. The Tokugawa shogunate used increasingly repressive measures, Christianity was completely banned in Japan, and Japanese Christians were executed.
In the mid-17th century, with the exception of China and a group of British merchants, any European who set foot in Japan was arrested and executed without trial.
In a satirical style, the “xenophobic” thought of Japan at the end of the Edo period was described in detail through He-Gassen.