Setsubun (Kyogen), from the series "Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue)"

Setsubun is a Kyōgen — the comic interlude form that traditionally accompanies Noh in a full-day program — built around the seasonal festival of the same name, the bean-throwing ritual that marks the start of spring. In the play, a demon (oni) descends from the mountain on the night of Setsubun and falls in love with a beautiful woman; she tricks him into giving up his magical hood and mallet before driving him out with the customary cry of 'Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi' (Demons out, fortune in). Tsukioka Kōgyo's inclusion of Setsubun in Nōgaku Zue (Pictures of Noh Performances) reflects the series' commitment to documenting the full Kyōgen repertoire alongside Noh proper — a documentary scope that distinguished his project from earlier ukiyo-e depictions of theater. Published by Matsuki Heikichi circa 1898, this Meiji-period color woodblock print is held by the Art Institute of Chicago and exemplifies Kōgyo's documentary precision in depicting costume, mask, and the comic gesture distinctive to Kyōgen performance.