Ichikawa Danjūrō VII in Shibaraku Costume Throwing Beans at Setsubun

Color woodblock print with metallic pigments: shikishiban surimono, 8 x 7 in. (20.3 x 17.8 cm); circa 1822
Signed: Gototei Kunisada ga
Artist’s seal: Sada

Setsubun, a festival marking winter’s end, is celebrated by throwing roasted beans to cast out demons from homes and the precincts of temples. Danjūrō VII, dressed in the exaggerated costume of Kamakura Gongorō, holds a tray with a box of beans in his left hand.