Otafuku Throwing Black Beans to Chase Away the Demons on New Year's Eve 1794

Tōshūsai Sharaku captured this image of Otafuku throwing beans, likely with woodblock printmaking techniques. Here, beans are wielded not as food, but as symbolic weapons, projected outwards to cleanse and purify the household from lurking demons. This act of throwing, a universal gesture, echoes through time. One might recall the ancient Greek custom of throwing stones to ward off evil spirits, or even the pelting of unpopular figures with rotten fruit, a practice symbolizing communal disapproval. Here, it is a cultural echo of the past resonating through Sharaku's art. But why beans? Beans, in their essence, are seeds of potential, symbols of fertility and rebirth. In a psychoanalytic light, the act of throwing beans could represent the subconscious desire to cast away negative aspects of the self, paving the way for renewal. This practice engages viewers on a deep level because it mirrors our own innate desire to purify ourselves. So we witness here a potent example of symbols being continuously reinterpreted, carrying layers of meaning from ancient rituals to Sharaku's contemporary celebration, demonstrating a cyclical progression of how symbols evolve, resurface, and take on new meaning.