He-Gassen: Japan's Ancient Fart Battle Scrolls
In Japanese museums and private collections are colourful scrolls from the 18th and 19th centuries depicting an extraordinary form of competition: people competing with one another over the furthest, loudest, or most accurate release of wind. These 'He-Gassen' (屁合戦, literally: fart battles) are both works of art and political satire — a unique window into Edo-period society.
What the Scrolls Show
The most famous He-Gassen scrolls date from the late Edo period (17th–19th century) and are attributed to various unknown artists. They depict people in competitive situations: some try to blow objects away with their intestinal gas — hats, cherry blossoms, even other people. Others show contests in which groups of men and women direct their wind against each other, while spectators judge the strength. The depictions are detailed, colourful, and comically exaggerated — winds are shown as visible air currents, people are launched through the air by the force of the gas. Despite the absurd content, the execution is often of high artistic quality in the style of ukiyo-e painting.
Political Satire Beneath the Guise of Humour
He-Gassen were not merely fun — they frequently contained subtle political messages. During the Edo period (1603–1868), Japan was subject to strict censorship by the Tokugawa shogunate. Direct political criticism was dangerous. The fart as symbol — loud, uncontrollable, socially frowned upon — was used by artists to comment on power, hierarchy, and social norms. When a simple farmer knocks down a high-ranking samurai with his intestinal wind, the picture speaks for itself. European caricaturists of the same era used similar techniques: the uncontrollable body as a metaphor for resistance to authority.
Predecessors and Tradition
The He-Gassen have predecessors in Japanese humour. The Toba-e tradition (from the 12th century onwards) already contained humorous-crude cartoons depicting bodily functions. Early He-Gassen scenes can be found in illustrated scrolls from the 15th century. In the Muromachi period, stories circulated about 'He-hiro' — people with excessive flatulence who were regarded as entertainers or wonder-men. The legendary 'Fukutomi Zoshi' scroll (c. 14th century) already shows a farting competition with prize money and an audience — a forerunner of the music festival concept, just with different instruments.
He-Gassen Today: Museums and Pop Culture
Original He-Gassen scrolls are held today in various Japanese museums as well as private collections in the United States and Europe. The Kyoto Prefectural Library and Archives holds several examples. In recent years the images have gone viral on social media: a tweet featuring a He-Gassen excerpt in 2019 garnered several million views. Interest is not merely amused and distant — art historians value the scrolls as an important source for everyday life and humour culture in the Edo period. Reproductions and merchandise are now available as souvenirs in Japan.
Did you know?
- He-Gassen (屁合戦) literally means 'fart battles' — competitions for the furthest or loudest release of wind.
- The images contained political satire: a farmer knocking down a samurai with his wind was clever criticism of the feudal class system.
- He-Gassen were created in the Edo period as a legitimate art form — often in the style of the famous ukiyo-e painting tradition.
- A Twitter post featuring a He-Gassen excerpt garnered several million views in 2019.
Fun Fact
The Japanese word for fart — 'He' (屁) — has a long literary history. In the medieval haiku style, 'He' was occasionally used as a humorous kigo (seasonal word). A famous example is attributed to Matsuo Bashō, the haiku master, who reportedly teased a student with a fart haiku — though the authenticity of this story is disputed.
Sources
- Screech, T. (2009). Sex and the Floating World: Erotic Images in Japan 1700–1820. Reaktion Books.
- Kern, A.L. (2006). Manga from the Floating World: Comicbook Culture and the Kibyoshi of Edo Japan. Harvard University Asia Center.
- Papp, Z. (2010). Traditional Cartoon Art: The Toba-e Tradition in Japanese Art. Nihon Mangakenkyukai.
- Smith, H.D. (1988). Hokusai: One Hundred Views of Mt. Fuji. George Braziller.