Iris, Ōdō Ayasono

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Ōdō Ayasono, Iris
Ōdō Ayasono, Iris
Ōdō Ayasono
Iris
mid 1800s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Iris, mid 1800s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Where object was made: Japan
Material/technique: color woodcut
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 189 x 250 mm
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 11 x 14 in
Credit line: Source unknown
Accession number: 0000.2026
Not on display
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Label texts

Archive Label 2003: The delicate blue-purple iris on this surimono relates to the text, a program for a noh theater performance presented on the fifth day of the fifth month. This is the day of a Chinese-inspired festival, connected to disease-fighting ceremonies, first observed in Japan in the early 7th century. Shobu, or “sweet flag,” a plant that resembles an iris, was used in combination with other plants to make medicine balls. The fifth-month festival evolved to include exhibitions of martial skills (thought to confer additional protection against evil spirits) and consumption of foodstuffs made with sweet flag. Festival celebrants thatched their rooftops with sweet flag and mugwort, and warriors bathed in sweet flag-steeped water. Irises continue to be associated with the fifth-month festival.