Strangely enough, farts have interested artists in different parts of the world. This fashion was alive for centuries and can be traced backed to medieval times. The art of farting was present in Japan and scenes were painted on precious scrolls as early as the Kamakura period (12-13th century).
But on the other side of the world, fart art was also present on margins of rare hand-made books. These representations of farting were for a high-class and limited public. Soon, however, the fart works in woodblocks and books were to reach a wider audience. Of course, the purpose was to entertain, but many farting scenes had another hidden, critical or satirical meaning in relation to Society at the time.
Farts even had its « theoreticians » in the East and in the West…
RELIGIOUS WINDS ?
In this rare Japanese scroll, from the 15th century but based on earlier caricatures, Buddhist priests are releasing intestinal gas in farting competitions. In this section, a nun and a priest are targeting a red fan they have cut in half by their vents!
Below, it is striking to observe a similar attraction to farting art in the West with these three European mediaeval illuminations found in rare books.
Are these just for fun, or do they carry already some other meaning?
A DEFENSIVE WEAPON for NON HUMANS
Although farting is mainly represented in humans, exceptional farting is known in two mythical animals, the Kappa in Japan and the Bonnacon in Europe.
On the right, a Kappa blows away two humans with his giant fart ( Kawanabe Kyosai 19th century). This supernatural being belongs to the Yōkai (妖怪, strange apparition) of Japanese folklore. Kappas catch humans in water and remove a mythical organ called the shirikodama, a small ball, from their victim’s anus. Fortunately, a depression on the head of kappa contains water, and if for any reason the water is lost, the Kappa becomes severely weakened. Nowadays, however, modern Kappas are portrayed as cute and mostly friendly, but during the Edo period they were monsters!
The Bonnacon is a legendary bull-like animal with horns turned inwards. The Bonnacons on the left look powerful but their real weapon is the dung that they fart for self defense against hunters. It travels very far and burns anything it touches. The hunters know the danger and are protecting themselves with their shields, while the farting bonnacons look at them so kindly!
Kappa stories appear also in many books with woodblock illustrations.
The scene beside is the final one from the book « Kappa no Shirikodama » (1798) which seems to describe a decisive fart contest between the heroin on the left and two kappas dressed as samourai on the right.
The object of the contest might be for the heroin to get back her shirikodama (anus ball) stolen from her previously by a kappa which had attracted her into the water…
The following undated scroll describes a story from the 15th century. Once upon a time, Shennong (originally a legendary Chinese ruler) and three men went to the castle of the King of the monsters who had kidnapped women from the village.
The party was able to put the ogres to sleep, and then ate all the fart-inducing food (boiled sweet potatoes, taros, chestnuts) they had brought with them. Thus, armed and farting like cannons, the four heroes could enter the king’s bedroom, neutralize the monsters and get back to their village with the women and the treasure of the king.
The colored drawings of the monsters look particularly good, very much like in modern mangas.
FART ARTISTS AND SUPPORTERS
This scroll of Fukotomi (14 th century?) tells the story of a no-good man pushed by his poor wife to become a farting artist as rich as the famous performer Oribe.
To make fun of him when he came for advice, Oribe gave the man some seeds to take before his first show. They were a laxative, and the poor man made a fool of himself while farting and pooing at the same time in front of a group of lords. He was beaten severely!
Beyond the appearance of a (rather disgusting) piece of humor, this sad tale has been interpreted as commissioned by court officials to disapprove of commoners rising to high positions.
It is interesting to note that men with this same physiological disposition as Oribe’s were also found in Europe. Look below!
Court minstrel of Henry II (12th century), Roland the Farter really had a single duty in the Court: every Christmas, he performed a dance that ended with “one jump, one whistle, and one fart” executed simultaneously.
At the end of the 19th century, Joseph Pujol made a very successful career as the “Pétomane”, a professional farter with exceptional physical abilities, and he even performed in Paris at Le Moulin Rouge!
"The Art of Farting" is a satirical and humorous pseudo-medical essay by Pierre-Thomas-Nicolas Hurtaut, published anonymously in 1751. It explores flatulence in a comic way.
Note the farting cannons on top. The banner at the bottom shows a classical Latine saying. It was translated in Pantagruel by Rabelais as : « Prenne qui peut », which is kind of funny when applied to farts…
Qui podest capere capiat = Prenne qui peut= Catch if you can
Hirana Gennai (born in 1729) was a gifted man, and excelled in many ways, as a pharmacologist, an herbalist, a painter, an inventor, a prospector and an author. He wrote a number of books on various kinds, including novel, guide, sexuality and satire.
In his satirical and philosophical book “Theory of Farting”, Gennai writes about fart artists who perform in front of crowds, and he opposes the traditional view that it is a gross act which breaks social rules. On contrary he argues that fat art conveys creativity and wisdom.
More generally, Gennai tries to demonstrate the superiority of the zoku (common, vulgar) over the ga (elegant), and criticizes the elite.
In 1926, Fart as a topic was reviewed in a book by Fukutomi Oribe, rightly titled « HE » (fart). It is an historical recollection of everything about farts in newspapers, books…a kind of climax of the fart!
WINDY SCROLLS
This 34 feet anonymous long scroll He-gassen (ca 1846) may be the best known of all Japanese fart artwork. It is funny but not without artistic research in the various scenes, like the crossfiring of the two women below.
The end of the Edo era followed by the beginning of the Meiji restauration was a period of profound changes in Japan with imposed opening to western trade and technology. This scroll is viewed by some historians as a criticism of westerners’ influence…blown away by “winds” of Japanese tradition!
Fart battle by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, from his series of paintings on silk « Humorous Scenes of Combat and Contest” (ca. 1830)
Winds are delicately drawn as thin yellow lines. Battle is taking place in the middle of the scene while next fighters are preparing themselves at the two side ends by eating plenty of fart-inducing food (taro and sweet potatoes?).
Fragment of « Hōhigassen » by Kawanabe Kyōsai (1867). The complete work is in two scrolls, nearly 9 m long!
It is not clear who is fighting against whom, or why they are blowing winds like crazy, maybe just for fun!
MAN vs KAPPA
Famous artists produced prints describing the interaction between humans and kappa through farting. It is strange that humans could repel kappas with their smelly winds when kappas themselves smelled horribly bad.
On the left, a rare print from Utamaro, best known for his portaits of courtesans (bijin-e) in the 18th century.
On the right, the print « Kappa Control Method » from the series "Comic Pictures of Famous Places in the Early Days of Tokyo“ (1881) by Yoshitoshi, one of the best woodblock artists at the end of 19th century .
FARTS EVERYWHERE
Although farting was not a major topic in Edo and Meiji periods woodblocks, some reknown artists produced prints on this theme.
The great Hokusai contributed to fart humour with some woodblocks he produced in the 19th century.
On the left, a servant is blowing off to extinguish a number of small oil lamps (1806)!
On the right, retainers of a samurai must endure his farting in a countryside privy. (published in the famous book of Manga, collecting together drawings of Hokusai on about every subject).
POPULAR FARTS
Lower class fart humour was also very popular, as shown below.
On the left, there is a small size print from a series of humorous works in the Toba-e style created by Kunifusa Utagawa in the 19th century. The Toba-e style was named after the monk Toba Sojo (11-12th century) who invented this graphic drawings of very lively (and bordering on comic) postures and expressions of thin looking people drawn with long arms and legs. Here, the culprit is fanning away his fart but his friend has caught the wind already.
On the right, two anonymous popular riddles, which read,
Top: The farter's head is "A", the fart says "Sa", and the guy being farted on is holding his nose because it stinks ("Kusa"). The riddle's answer is “Asakusa” (famous district in Edo, now Tōkyō).
Bottom: The fart is “He” and the fart says “i”. Together, they are read “He(b)i”, snake in Japanese!
FARTS in BOSHIN WAR SATIRE
The 1868 Boshin civil war took place between the forces (the East) of the last shogun from the 250 year long Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition (the West) of western lords to end the shogunate and seize power in the name of the Emperor.
At the time, satirical prints were forbidden and artists who produced them could get into deep trouble, so they were anonymous and did not go through official censorship!
This very graphic diptych is a Fart Battle in the Toba-e style. The inscription "he = fart" on the handheld fans make it clear !
The right group is the Imperial coalition and it is overrunning the left group (Shogunate army) thanks to giant farting from a huge traditional japanese drawstring bag (kinchaku bukuro).
This winning side has a flag which reads « baked Satsuma sweet potatoes », the famous production of the Satsuma clan, a major follower of the Emperor.
Here, the Emperor coalition is blowing away the Shogunate army!
Fart fight between East and West (1868)
Contrary to the other Boshin war satiric prints which were forbidden and anonymous, this one is signed, which is surprising at first sight. But the signature, itself is satiric. It reads
« Ketsumedo », that is, « asshole »!
To be able to start a fart battle agressively one has to eat specific food before, like taro, as shown in the bottom left of the diptych.
Ammunitions are essential!
This fart fashion has about disappeared from the Art world since the 20th century. Present satirical drawings and images are still produced a lot in a world where multiple crises are always underway, but they use other symbols. Maybe farts don’t look real enough.
Indeed farts are not commonplace in everyday’s life any longer because modern food relies more on processed products than on robust taro and sweet potato « needed » for intense gas production.
Life in large and crowded cities is not really compatible with free farting. Then, winds are frowned upon and this theme would not attract a large public.
Modern art may find it complicated to represent visually what is really invisible.
Hope you enjoyed travelling through the wind !!
Thanks to:
Imre Nagy Francine Minvielle
British Library Kongelike Bibliotek
Keio University Library Royal Academy of Arts
Suntory Museum of Arts The Cleveland Museum of Arts
Tokyo Metropolitan Library Asian Art Forums
The Ukiyo-e Discussion Forum Honolulu Museum of Art
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History
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