Namazu no Kabayaki Ōban Furumai: Edo's Earthquake Satire in Woodblock Print

鰰のかば焼大ばん振舞

Namazu no Kabayaki Ōban Furumai — The Great Catfish Kabayaki Feast

From the Ansei Ōjishin-e (安政大地震絵) series | Ansei 2 (1855) | Artist unknown

In the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic Ansei Earthquake of October 1855 (est. M6.9, over 7,000 deaths), Edo's printmakers responded not with despair but with biting satire. Within a single month, hundreds of namazu-e (鰰絵, catfish prints) flooded the city's streets — a uniquely Japanese fusion of disaster relief, dark humor, and social critique. 🐟

About the Work

In Edo popular belief, earthquakes were caused by a giant catfish (namazu) thrashing beneath the earth, normally kept in check by the god Kashima Daimyōjin and his sacred kaname-ishi (要石, keystone). This print turns that mythology delightfully on its head:

Kashima Daimyōjin (left) — the god who should be pinning the catfish down — wields a kitchen knife and prepares to fillet it. Konpira Daigongen (center) polishes the serving dish with cheerful enthusiasm. Ebisu Saburō (right) fans the charcoal fire with gusto. And the sake barrel in the upper left? It bears the inscription of the sacred kaname-ishi itself — the very stone meant to suppress the catfish, now repurposed as a drinks container. ⛩️

Namazu-e: Edo's Disaster Satire

The namazu-e phenomenon is one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of Japanese popular culture. Produced anonymously and sold cheaply as kawaraban (瓦版, broadsheets), these prints served multiple functions: processing collective trauma through humor, satirizing the social disruption caused by the earthquake (which paradoxically created work for carpenters and builders), and expressing popular frustration with the authorities.

Their explosive popularity — hundreds of designs in a single month — speaks to the extraordinary vitality and wit of Edo's urban print culture. 🌸

Disaster Prevention Day: A Living Legacy

September 1st is Japan's Bōsai no Hi (防災の日, Disaster Prevention Day), commemorating the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. It is a day to reflect on Japan's long relationship with seismic disaster — and the resilience, creativity, and dark humor with which its people have always responded.

The namazu-e of 1855 remind us that this spirit is centuries old. ⛩️

Experience Ukiyo-e at Atelier UKIYO

At Atelier UKIYO, we celebrate the full breadth of Japanese woodblock print culture — from sublime landscape masterpieces to irreverent popular satire — bringing these extraordinary works into contemporary life through premium art prints and artist-led collections.

Explore our collection and discover the wit and wisdom of Edo. 🪭🎴