(Right) The Whiskered Kume Immortal (Kume no sennin 粂の髯人), Kobayashi Kiyochika, 1886. The awkward English caption reads: "Look at the fall of the fish of the species of Namadz!" The cartoon lampoons the ease with which officials fall to their weaknesses of lust and greed.

This cartoon is clearly based on a morality tale popular in Tokugawa times about the Kume Immortal. Immortals (sennin 仙人) were semi-divine beings who had once been ordinary humans. Through rigorous training, they abandoned society and all of its attendant desires (including sex). As a result, they gained immortal life and the ability to do such things as fly through the air (owing to their light, purified bodies).  In this popular Tokugawa-era tale (left), the Kume Immortal is flying through the air without a care in the world. Then, he sees a beautiful woman bending over a washtub scrubbing clothes. Her beauty is so alluring that it fills the Kume Immortal with lust, and he crashes to earth as a result. At left is a PG-13 depiction of the tale, and you can see the obvious similarity to the Meiji cartoon.

Incidentally, in most Tokugawa-era renditions of the tale, although the immortal falls from his lofty heights, he can at least console himself with a lusty fling (apparently he is not too badly injured). If explicit depictions of the base deeds of fallen immortals do not offend you, #click here# for a typical adult-rated version.