Namazu-e 鯰絵

About Namazu-e 鯰絵

Namazu-e (鯰絵) are Japanese woodblock prints that appeared after the devastating Ansei Earthquake of 1855. They typically depict a giant catfish called Ōnamazu, believed to trigger earthquakes. These images, initiated in part by the writer Kanagaki Robun and the painter Kawanabe Kyōsai, combined humor with social commentary and circulated anonymously to avoid government scrutiny.

Many prints show an angry populace attacking the catfish, while others feature it in various guises—an apothecary, a husband, or even a Kabuki actor. Some images highlight the emerging worship of the catfish at Kashima Shrine. Short texts often accompany these scenes, reflecting mixed attitudes: some blame the catfish for their losses, while others note how rebuilding after an earthquake redistributes wealth.

Art historically, namazu-e connect to earlier Ōtsu-e designs, particularly the hyōtan namazu motif, where a figure subdues a giant catfish with a gourd. This imagery references Chinese depictions of deities riding fish or dragons to prevent tremors. Overall, namazu-e exemplify how folklore and wit helped people in earthquake-prone Japan process loss and renewal.

Sold and shipped by Vinz Schwarzbauer.

About Vinz Schwarzbauer

Vinz Schwarzbauer (*1987 in Graz, Austria) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in 2014. In 2011/12, he spent a year in Hamburg on the Art School Alliance Scholarship at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg (HFBK). He was a co-founder of the magazine for narrative drawing "Franz the Lonely Austrionaut" and has illustrated for renowned media and theaters such as Falter, Jacobin Magazine, Der Standard, Burgtheater Wien, and Residenztheater München. His comic debut Mäander was published by Edition Moderne in 2023. Vinz Schwarzbauer lives and works as a comic artist and illustrator in Vienna, Austria.