Wind in the Ear of a Horse; Led by an Ox on a Pilgrimage to Zenko-ji

This sheet combines two proverbs, each shown in a separate vignette:

1. Baji tōfū — “The east wind in a horse’s ear,” meaning indifference to advice; depicted as the wind literally blowing through a horse’s ear.
2. Zenkō-ji mōde ken-gyū — “Leading an animal on a pilgrimage to Zenko-ji,” a satire on superficial piety and hollow religious display.

Kyōsai links the two in a single humorous design: both expose the futility of outward devotion and unheeded instruction, a sharp moral joke typical of his One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai series.

Kawanabe Kyōsai
Woodblock print, ca. 1863–1866
From the series: One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu)
Format: small-format sheet (koban-ban), first edition
Publisher: Wakasaya Yoichi (若狭屋与市)
Dimensions: approx. 13 × 18 cm
Medium: polychrome woodblock print (nishiki-e) on handmade washi paper
Edition & Printing Details
This sheet belongs to the first edition of Kyōsai Hyakuzu, published between 1863–1866.

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.