Image 24
Shoki, the Demon Queller
18th century
Okumura Masanobu
Japan (1686-1764)
Ink on paper
22 x 4 inches
Gift of Anonymous St. Paul Friend 1975

• According to Japanese folklore, the spirit of the physician Shoki (show-key) was able to scare away demons.
• Families with male children hung images of Shoki outside their houses to ward off evil spirits during the Boys' Day festival.
• Long narrow PRINTS were designed to hang on the wooden pillars in traditional Japanese homes.
  

During the early T'ang (tong) dynasty, Shoki was a physician in the province of Shensi (shen-see), China. He was considered very ugly. Hoping to advance his career, he took the examinations required to enter government service. Although he performed brilliantly, Shoki's dreams of advancement were shattered. Some say Shoki was cruelly cheated out of first place. Others say he was awarded first place by the examiners, who praised his work, saying it was equal to that of the wisest ancients. But when Shoki was presented to the court, the emperor rejected him because he was so ugly.

In shame, Shoki took his own life on the steps of the imperial palace, right in front of the emperor. Overcome with remorse, the emperor ordered that Shoki be buried with the highest honors, wrapped in a green robe usually reserved for members of the imperial clan. In gratitude, Shoki's spirit vowed to protect any ruler against the evil of demons.

Japan and China
When the Japanese imported Buddhism from China in the 6th century, they also assumed many other aspects of Chinese culture, including their mythology. The popular story of Shoki was adopted from China, where he was known as Chung Kuei (chung guay). During the Edo (ED-oh) period in Japan (1600-1868), families began to hang banners depicting Shoki inside and outside of their houses during the Boys' Day festival. Boys' Day is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar year. According to ancient tradition, this is a day when evil spirits and bad luck abounds. Images of Shoki ward off danger from the homes of families with male children.

Rising Merchant Class
During Japan's Edo period, great cities and a new, prosperous merchant class flourished. Middle-class tastes were significantly different from those of the Buddhist priests and shogunate (the government under a shogun) that had dominated artistic patronage in the past. Members of the new middle class preferred scenes of everyday life and illustrations of folk stories like Shoki the Demon Queller. By the 18th century many artists depicted Shoki in prints for this new audience.

Prints
As a result of this new patronage and the development of a many-colored woodblock printing process, an abundance of printed materials were made available to all. Novels, pictures, and poetry helped inform the Japanese of their own cultural heritage as well as artistic styles and themes imported from China. For commoners who could not afford a painting, these new prints offered an affordable alternative.

The long narrow format of PILLAR PRINTS, achieved by pasting together two sheets of paper, was popular and practical. Whereas most prints were pasted into albums, pillar prints were hung in the home. The traditional Japanese house had very few walls, and the sliding doors that divided the rooms were made of paper. Structural wooden pillars were the only place where pictures could be hung.

Masanobu
The artist Masanobu (maa-saw-no-boo) (1686-1764) invented the popular pillar print format. He was one of Japan's most important painters and printmakers during the 18th century. By his own account, Masanobu was responsible for dozens of technical and stylistic innovations in printmaking.

Shoki, the Demon Queller
Shoki typically appears as a portly bewhiskered man. He wears scholar's robes, a hat, and heavy knee-high boots and carries a large sword. His large eyes, bulbous nose, and fierce expression are also characteristic features. In this print Shoki rounds a corner in hot pursuit of a demon. His eyes bulge out as he spies his prey. His left hand tenses, while his right reaches for his long broad sword.

Masanobu deftly varies his use of line to convey mood, texture, and mass. The thick, wavy, jagged outlines of Shoki's drapery capture his intense vitality. The fine delicate lines of his wild windblown beard and hair contrast the thicker lines of his bushy eyebrows and mustache. Masanobu uses dramatic shading in light and dark to emphasize the bulk of the figure.

Masanobu creatively uses this narrow vertical format to enhance his storytelling. Shoki does not fill the length of the print, but is relegated instead to the lower two-thirds. This position emphasizes his short and portly stature. By cropping from view much of Shoki's arms, one leg, and the ends of his hair and beard, Masanobu gives the impression of catching a quick glimpse of the elusive demon queller.

The characters (the SYMBOLS used in the Japanese writing system) placed in the lower left corner of this pillar print of Shoki, are the artist Masanobu's studio name, Hogetsudo (hoe-get-sue-doe), and his signature, Okumura Bunkaku Masanobu (oh-ku-mer-ah boon-ka-ku maa-saw-no-boo).

Look
1. Tell the story of Shoki, the Demon Queller. What is Shoki doing in this picture? (Running!) Can you find his sword? (Hangs down to the left of his boot.) Explain the format of PILLAR PRINTS, made to hang on narrow pillars in a traditional Japanese home. Why would Okumura Masanobu CROP off part of Shoki's body when he made this print? (To give the impression of a fleeting glimpse of Shoki on the move.) Why might Masanobu leave so much space at the top of this print? (To emphasize Shoki's short, portly stature.)

2. In the story, Shoki is considered very ugly. How has Masanobu made him look ugly? (Unkempt hair, bulging eyes, bulbous nose, fierce expression.) Does he look scary? Why or why not?

3. Traditional Japanese ink paintings rely on dramatic lines to capture a subject. What kinds of lines do you see in this PRINT? Where are thick lines? (Robe, hat, boots, eyebrows, and mustache.) Where are thin lines? (Hand, facial features, hair and beard, decoration on robe, sword.)

4. Japanese artists sign their work, just as artists in other parts of the world do. Find Okumura Masanobu's signature on this print. (Lower left corner.)

2. During the Edo period in Japan, families hung pictures of Shoki inside and outside their houses to protect their male children during the Boys' Day festival. Why do you suppose Shoki came to be considered protection for boys? (Perhaps because Shoki's real life role of scholar and his afterlife role as protectorate were male-dominated roles in Japan, roles considered inappropriate for girls or women.)

3. During the Edo period, PRINTS like this one were popular among the Japanese middle class because they were an affordable alternative to original paintings. Do we have an affordable alternative to original art today? What is it? (The poster!)

4. Do we celebrate Boys' day? Girls' day? Should we?

5. Shoki was discriminated against because of the way he looked. Can you think of other stories involving discrimination based on looks? (Beauty and the Beast, the Ugly Duckling, Phantom of the Opera, Elephant Man, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.) Have you ever been discriminated against for the way you look? How did it feel? How was it resolved? Do you judge others based on their looks?