A Hundred Days of Sermons, Undone by One Fart / The Boy and the Nun
(百日説法屁一つ・その子と比丘尼さま)
One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu) - Plate 1
Kawanabe Kyōsai — “100 Days of Sermons... Out the Back”
This design combines two proverbs:
“Even a hundred days of sermons can be undone by a single fart” — meaning that one careless act can erase years of virtue — and “The boy and the nun,” a comic juxtaposition of innocence and sanctity.
Kyosai literalizes both, showing monks and devotees plunged into absurdity by human folly.
Through laughter and irreverence, he exposes vanity and pretense in moral authority, reminding that true wisdom requires humility and humor.
Kawanabe Kyōsai
From the series: One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu)
Publisher: Wakasaya Yoichi (若狭屋与市)
Medium: Polychrome woodblock print (nishiki-e), printed on washi
Format: Individual sheet from bound edition
Dimensions: approx. 13 × 18 cm
Edition & Printing Details
This print belongs to the first edition of Kyōsai Hyakuzu, published by Wakasaya Yoichi between 1863–1866.
Binding holes along the right edge indicate inclusion in an early bound volume.
Genre and Significance
Genre: satirical matsuri-e, grotesque religious parody, oni-themed fantasy
Style: anti-authoritarian realism, post-ukiyo-e grotesquerie
Significance: rare early example of Kyōsai’s critique of spectacle, ritual, and hierarchy
Market rarity: high — especially for first-edition sheets in strong condition
Note
This description is part of an evolving research project. Very few collections of this kind exist worldwide, and each newly studied sheet refines our understanding of the series. The catalogue will be continuously updated and expanded — leaving room for fresh interpretations, new connections, and unexpected discoveries that keep the collection alive and intriguing.
“Even a hundred days of sermons can be undone by a single fart” — meaning that one careless act can erase years of virtue — and “The boy and the nun,” a comic juxtaposition of innocence and sanctity.
Kyosai literalizes both, showing monks and devotees plunged into absurdity by human folly.
Through laughter and irreverence, he exposes vanity and pretense in moral authority, reminding that true wisdom requires humility and humor.
Kawanabe Kyōsai
From the series: One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu)
Publisher: Wakasaya Yoichi (若狭屋与市)
Medium: Polychrome woodblock print (nishiki-e), printed on washi
Format: Individual sheet from bound edition
Dimensions: approx. 13 × 18 cm
Edition & Printing Details
This print belongs to the first edition of Kyōsai Hyakuzu, published by Wakasaya Yoichi between 1863–1866.
Binding holes along the right edge indicate inclusion in an early bound volume.
Genre and Significance
Genre: satirical matsuri-e, grotesque religious parody, oni-themed fantasy
Style: anti-authoritarian realism, post-ukiyo-e grotesquerie
Significance: rare early example of Kyōsai’s critique of spectacle, ritual, and hierarchy
Market rarity: high — especially for first-edition sheets in strong condition
Note
This description is part of an evolving research project. Very few collections of this kind exist worldwide, and each newly studied sheet refines our understanding of the series. The catalogue will be continuously updated and expanded — leaving room for fresh interpretations, new connections, and unexpected discoveries that keep the collection alive and intriguing.