Page 372 - Edo: Art in Japan, 1615–1868

by the extent to which "body language" — including the sophisticated textile designs of garments and
bodily poses — takes priority over facial depiction. Background, too, we discover, dissolves completely.

In short, body must be read as face.
To get a better grasp of these complex aesthetic issues, in this essay we shall view works that
document the transformation of the human form by mask, makeup, or costume and explore how the
artist creatively represents or reinvents the human figure at play. Before turning to works of some of
the most prominent artists of the ukiyoe tradition, let us view certain forms of performance and dance
that used mask and costume to transform the human figure and that may have influenced, directly or
perhaps unconsciously, the depiction of the human face in paintings and prints.
371

M A S K I N G T H E Many forms of Edo entertainment had their roots in ancient court and agricultural rituals in which per-
I N D I V I D U A L formers donned elaborate costumes, fancifully decorated hats, and masks representing sacred animals
or supernatural beings. Such performances had both a religious and a practical function: they helped
to exorcise evil spirits while inviting benevolent deities to bestow good fortune on a household or com-
munity. The social interaction of the rituals helped forge closer community ties, yet they also fulfilled
— for those who performed, joined in, or simply watched — an individual's basic human need for emo-

tional catharsis and temporary escape from daily cares.
Even as they became increasingly secular, some forms of popular performance held on to a
ritual dimension, as seen in the various vignettes of itinerant Entertainers, painted sometime during
the Genroku era (cat. 237). These screens document a fascinating array of street dancers and comics,

cat. 237
itinerant Entertainers,
late seventeenth or early
eighteenth century,
detail from pair of six-panel
screens; ink, color,
and gold on paper,
5
each 60 x 206 (23 /s x SiVs),
Preservation Committee
of Oba Local Governor's Office,
Tokyo