The Day Before the Beginning of Spring, c. 1790, Katsushika Hokusai; Publisher: Tsutaya Jūzaburō, Japanese, 1760 - 1849, 8 3/8 × 6 in. ( × cm) (image, sheet, vertical chūban), Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan, 18th century, For this print, Hokusai was inspired by a play dramatizing a popular ritual performed on setsubun, the eve of the first day of spring in the old lunar calendar. On this day, people in Japan scatter dried beans in their houses to drive out bad luck. In the play, a demon personifies an evil spirit who has come into a widow's house

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Size: 3920px × 5363px
Location:
Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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