The art of flatulence! How 200-year-old Japanese 'He-gassen' paintings really DO have a deep meaning



Cartoons reflected anti-European sentiment in shogun-ruled country

Most people would look on this Japanese art - depicting various men and women engaged in flatulent combat - as 200-year-old toilet humour.

But the artwork, known as 'He-gassen' (or 'fart battle'), is in fact a pointed comment on political and social changes in Japan.

Made by an unknown artist or artists, the scroll depicts a number of different scenes - all linked by the fact that at least one character is directing a debilitating blast of flatulence towards another character.



Take that: The He-gassen scroll - which roughly translates to 'fart competition' or 'fart battle' - depicts various characters engaged in windy combat

Repelling the attack: In this frame, a line of attackers are having their efforts sent back in their faces by a pair of quick-thinking men with fans. The image, while amusing, hides a more sinister racial message

Close shave: In this image, a combatant has his hat blown from his head in a narrow escape. The poor man in red, however, is being hit by the full gale-force brunt

They may be riding on horseback, or directing a foul wind through a gap in a wall, but the meaning is the same.

This scroll and similar drawings were created in response to increasing intrusion of Europeans in Japan during the Edo period - between 1603 and 1868.

Just like renaissance painters left hidden meaning in their work, or modern-day cartoonists provide humorous takes on serious political events, the He-gassen scroll has specific meaning that would have been instantly interpreted at the time.

Social comment: Like a modern-day cartoonist's view of current events, the He-gassen scroll was a pointed depiction of Japan's mistrust and displeasure at European influence in the country

What have they been eating? One of the more elaborate artworks in the scroll shows the ill-effects of the battle... a woman (left) has a scarf tied around her nose and a man (right) is holding his nose in discomfort

On for young and old: Women and men are caught up in the battle in this image, and the couple behind the upturned table clearly did not count on the awesome power of the central figure

This was the era of the Tokugawa shogunate, which is characterised by a suspicion of foreigners and a ruthless persecution of Christians.

By the middle of the 17th century, only China, the Dutch East India Company and a group of English traders were allowed in restricted sections of Japan.

Any other Europeans who landed in Japan were arrested and executed without trial.

While the He-gassen scroll looks ludicrous now, it was a comical depiction of Japan's serious xenophobia toward the end of this Edo period.