By Matsuo Bashō
Early Edo period (17th century)
Donated by Wajima Shigeo
It is thought that this work was created when Matsuo Bashō (1644–94) witnessed the annual soot-sweeping event at years’ end during his travels. During the Edo period, annual soot-cleaning took place on 13 December, as people performed purification rituals to greet the New Year with a clean house, clean body, and clean mind. This work expresses Bashō’s empathy with the activities of everyday people, and the humour inherent in the fragility of life.