Red and White Shishi Dancers

Red and White Shishi Dancers presents the paired lion-dog dancers — one in a red costume, one in white — who performed at major festivals and shrine celebrations throughout Japan. The shishi-mai, performed by teams of dancers hidden under the elaborate lion-dog costume, was among the most visually spectacular of Japan's folk performance traditions, and the pairing of red and white — the colors of Japan itself, of shrine decoration, and of lucky and festive occasions — gave the composition an immediate cultural resonance. Mori's stencil technique was well suited to the bold, saturated colors of the lion-dance costumes.