Visitors to the Pit (Yama) in the Meiji Era (1868-1912): Minister Shoki
May 1967

Meiji Yama no Homonsha: Shoki Daijin
[Visitors to the Pit (Yama) in the Meiji Era (1868-1912): Minister Shoki]
37.9 x 53.6 cm Painting in Watercolors and Ink

This painting shows Minister Shoki knocking on the wooden shutter of the entrance of the pit worker's row house called a naya (barn) during the early days of the New Year when families had not eaten up all of their rice cakes yet. He wore a headband of straw with its horn-like knot on his forehead, held a treasured sword (stick) made of straw in his right hand, and chanted as follows:
"How auspicious it is to have welcomed the New Year! Good luck will come into your house through the doorway where Shoki stood. Your wishes will come true, demons will leave you, and your family will be prosperous."
He chose his words to suit his audience, such as "thriving business" for the people in towns and "bumper crops" for those in farm villages.
Fortunately, the shutters of the pit workers' row houses faced the streets and it was convenient for the visitor to knock on them. He looked tired of carrying his heavy bags filled with the many rice cakes he was given.


Text at the Top Left
Shoki is the god who defeated the demon of ill health in China a long time ago. It is said that when Emperor Xuan Zong of the Tang dynasty suffered from a plague, this god appeared in the emperor's dream and cured his disease. The emperor woke up after hearing from the god that his name was Shoki and that he was a Chinese civil servant in Mt. Zhongnan Shan. Therefore, the shown figure of Shoki on the left is based on the picture painted at the emperor's order by a Taoist called Wu. The painting is an imaginary picture painted in the same way as Fudo-sama (Fudo Myoo: Acala the god of fire) in our country. It can be said that he is a god in a dream. (This paragraph is based on the description of an encyclopedia.)

Lettering on the Plate on the Doorway
Kono [family name] Otsuzo [given name]
Doh [the same family name] Iwa [given name]

Lettering on the Black Demon beside Imaginary Shoki
Byoma: demon of ill health


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

<<Last pictorial record    Next pictorial record>>

<<Last 10 items  21 | 22 | 23 | 24｜25 |

24／25