Kaze no Rakusho--The Voices of Edo Folk Engraved in the Times

Kaze no Rakusho--The Voices of Edo Folk Engraved in the Times

In the Edo period, graffiti was not merely a prank, but was sometimes treated as an expression of social criticism or resistance to the system. Initially, it was punished as a "conspiracy to write" crime, sometimes resulting in death. The shogunate regarded anonymous criticism through letters and drawings as dangerous and strictly enforced the law to maintain public order and security. As time went by, however, graffiti gained a certain degree of acceptance as a reflection of the sentiments and daily lives of the common people. In the 18th century, there is an anecdote that the shogun Ienobu gave permission for graffiti, saying, "Do not be afraid to write what you think," which was said to be a symbol of tolerance that accepted the will of the people.

In the background, the literacy rate increased due to the spread of terakoya, and the common people had the power to express their thoughts and discontent in writing. Roads, house fences, and bridge railings became the stage for graffiti, in which satire, irony, and aspiration were engraved. In conjunction with popular culture such as ukiyoe and kusa-sohshi, graffiti became an element that shaped the culture of Edo. The common people laughed, criticized, and sometimes prayed, leaving traces of their small resistance to society.

However, graffiti was not entirely tolerated, and graffiti that directly criticized the shogunate or clans was strictly enforced. Amid the vacillation between prohibition and acceptance, graffiti was also a reflection of the tension between power and the common people. In this way, graffiti went beyond mere play with words and functioned as a cultural device that reflected the atmosphere of the times. Edo graffiti recorded the voices of the voiceless, and can be seen as the source of expression that can be traced back to contemporary street art and anonymous expression on social networking services (SNS). The traces that convey the breath of the common people continue to have an important meaning in the history of culture.