Het Japanse geestenfeest 1728

Bernard Picart made this print called “The Japanese Spirits Festival”, the date is unknown. It shows what Europeans imagined Japanese rituals to look like. Picart was a French engraver living in the Netherlands, so we can assume he never saw a real Japanese festival. He probably relied on written accounts from missionaries or traders, re-interpreting them through a European lens. The print is divided into two scenes, showing different stages of the festival. We can see people gathering, preparing food, and guiding spirits with lanterns. It’s interesting to see how Picart combines accurate details with imagined elements. The clothing and architecture have some basis in reality, but the overall scene feels exoticized and romanticized, fitting with European notions of the Far East at the time. By researching prints like this, and comparing them to other documents such as travelers’ accounts and religious texts, we can start to understand the complex social and cultural exchange between Europe and Japan in the early modern period.