Pictures of the Gigantic Catfish (Kashima Controls a Giant Catfish)

This multicolor woodblock print was published after a large earthquake near Edo (present-day Tokyo) on October 2, 1855 (near the end of the Edo Period, 1603-1868) as a satirical commentary on recent events. In modern Japan, historical woodblock prints that feature giant catfish (namazu) are called namazu-e ("catfish prints"), and over 220 types have been confirmed to exist. In this print, Kashima, a god who can control earthquakes enshrined at Kashima Shrine (in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture), controls a giant catfish with a divine sword in the center of the picture. At the time, many believed that giant catfish caused earthquakes. Surrounding Kashima and the giant catfish are two kinds of people from Edo: earthquake victims asking Kashima to ensure that there will not be another earthquake, and craftsmen (such as construction workers and plasterers), whose businesses boomed due to the sudden need for repairs after the earthquake, asking the giant catfish to create more opportunities for making money. Both groups reflect the thoughts of the common people of Edo after the disaster.