Sparrow Dance

The print shows sparrows wearing broad hats and dressed as yakko, dancing both on a suspended rope and on the ground below. The Sparrow Dance was already a familiar subject in Edo-period visual culture. It appeared in books devoted to dance and was also illustrated in Hokusai Manga. Kyōsai’s composition was most likely based on Hokusai’s treatment of the same theme.

The movements of the birds resemble the theatrical Sparrow Dance known from kabuki. Sparrows can perch on extremely thin branches and ropes, continually hopping from one position to another. Their natural movements could therefore easily be interpreted as a dance.

This observation gave rise to the Japanese saying, “A sparrow does not forget its dance even at a hundred.” The proverb does not literally mean that a sparrow spends its entire life dancing. It refers to habits, skills and patterns of behaviour learned in childhood or youth that remain with a person into old age.

Kyōsai’s sparrows are dressed as yakko, the servants and attendants associated with samurai processions who also became conspicuous characters in theatre and popular art. The rear sections of their garments are tucked up, broad belts are tied around their bodies, and short hanging panels are attached at the front, resembling the sagari of a ceremonial sumo belt. Each bird also carries a sword.

A large diamond-shaped crest appears on their clothing. It cannot be identified with certainty as the emblem of a particular family. However, yakko wearing a similar large diamond design appear in Hokusai Manga, providing further evidence that Kyōsai followed Hokusai’s earlier composition.

At the bottom of the print are naruko, wooden clappers traditionally used to frighten birds away from ripening rice. Sparrows were regarded as agricultural pests because they fed on grain in the fields. Farmers placed scarecrows among the rice plants and suspended naruko nearby. When moved by the wind, the wooden pieces produced a repeated clattering sound that startled the birds and drove them away.

Kyōsai turns this practical device into a comic element. Instead of fleeing from the sound of the naruko, the sparrows dance in time with its rhythm. The bird scarer becomes a kind of musical instrument accompanying their performance.

Nearby stands a sanbo, a raised tray used for ritual offerings to the gods. Ears of rice placed upon it represent the newly harvested crop. The naruko, the rice and the offering stand connect the comic dance with the agricultural cycle, the autumn harvest and ceremonies of thanksgiving.

The dancing sparrows also refer to the well-known Japanese folktale The Tongue-Cut Sparrow. In the story, a kind old man and old woman set out to find the home of a sparrow they had previously sheltered and cared for. After a long search, they finally reach the sparrow’s dwelling and are reunited with it.

To thank them for their kindness, the sparrow prepares a meal and entertains its guests. During the banquet, the other sparrows perform the Sparrow Dance.

When the elderly couple are ready to leave, they are offered two wicker chests, one heavy and one light. Because they are modest and free from greed, they choose the lighter chest and carry it home.

When they open it, they discover gold, silver, precious objects and fine silk textiles. The chest is miraculous: even after the treasures are removed, more continue to appear inside it.

A malicious neighbouring old woman, the person who had cut out the sparrow’s tongue, learns about the miraculous gift. She also visits the sparrows’ home. When offered the same choice on her departure, she deliberately selects the heavy chest, expecting it to contain even greater riches.

Instead, monsters emerge from the chest and devour her. In this brutal conclusion, the supernatural creatures avenge the cruelty inflicted upon the sparrow.

The print therefore operates on several levels at once. It is a comic parody of a theatrical dance and of the flamboyant appearance of yakko. It transforms the ordinary hopping of birds into a staged performance and illustrates a proverb about habits retained throughout life. It also recalls a folktale about kindness, greed and retribution.

The agricultural details add another layer of meaning. Rice ears, the ritual sanbo and the wooden naruko connect the scene with the harvest and with the uneasy relationship between farmers and the sparrows that fed on their crops. Kyōsai reverses that conflict through humour: the clappers intended to drive the birds away instead provide the rhythm for their dance, turning troublesome field sparrows into the performers of an elaborate theatrical spectacle.