Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Casting out beans, or setsubun, is a traditional spring-cleaning ritual in which last season’s beans are discarded to banish evil spirits and initiate a fresh start for the New Year. This print displays Ichikawa Danjūrō VII in his signature role for the play Shibaraku (Wait a Moment), a short drama performed during the interludes between longer Kabuki plays.

Poem:

A voice calling “Wait a moment!”
In the Ichikawa way
The roasted beans usher in the
Spring
The cleansing air passes through
Fame extends to the four barbarian
lands
And the eight outer worlds
His honor is so high that those
In the reserved seats and the
standees
In the pit are equally excited
—Shiseidō Sutena

Upon seeing the Spring
About to have its start
A voice rings out
“Wait a moment!”
The voice of the warbler in the
garden
—Hōichitei Masunari