Sabina Savage’s latest visual feast brings us aboard a 17th-century Dutch trading ship, en route to the city of Edo, Japan. In addition to standard dry goods, such as sugarcane and silk, the ship teems with terrified exotics—wild, imprisoned animals intended to be a gift for Japan’s then ruler, Shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa. Leopards, rabbits and birds tremble together as the ship’s merchants unload cage after cage onto the shores of Dejima Island. Before continuing to Edo, the merchants are met with revelry — the city is in the midst of Tango No Sekku, an ancient seasonal festival celebrating the children of Japan.
Unbeknownst to the merchants, their delivery coincides with a new edict from the Shogun: Orders on Compassion for Living Things. These strict animal welfare laws forbid the confinement and mistreatment of any living creature. As the merchants sleep for the night, local Tango No Sekku revelers sneak into the encampment. In observance of Tokugawa’s decree, and a deep respect for the beautiful creatures before them, they quietly unlatch and open the cages. Released from their imprisonment, the animals disappear into the night, lost among the festive decorations.
THE LUNAR LEOPARD
“The clouded leopard flees until he can run no further. Under the gently rippling willow and flags of Tango No Sekku, he takes pause on a hillside. His tortoise companion attempts to disguise their presence with samurai tassels, while the ship rats emulate the rounded shapes of the tsuba. It is the fifth night of the fifth moon in the lunisolar calendar, and a flight of swallows announces the outsiders’ presence under the sparkling sky.”
“The black tailed jackrabbits dash blindly through the decorated streets, twisting and gathering menuki and miniature kawari kabuto (strange helmets) as they bound. Now entangled in translucent paper lanterns, they float gently over Edo on the morning air until they reach Ōkunoshima (Rabbit Island). Here they attempt to assimilate with the native population. The lanterns cast a soft glow in the dawn light and the metallic grasses rustle softly.”
“As the sun rises, the imposing black karasu (jungle crow) soars above the city. Attracted to shiny things, he finds intricate arrowheads amongst the Tango No Sekku decorations and steals a gleaming samurai sword. His shadowy presence spooks the locals, who then spook him in turn, and losing balance, he becomes caught in the koinobori carp streamers. Panicking now, the imposing corvid heads towards the harbour, unwittingly collecting fish bones and a lobster as he glides.”
Sabina Savage, while a keen designer, is a storyteller at heart. In addition to the newest illustrations from Escape Into Edo, we invite you to explore other odes from her archive, such as A Tale of Tibet and Mythos, Sabina’s interpretation of Ancient Greek lore. We seek these pieces for our stores again and again (even years after their initial production) because not only are they visually striking, but because the stories continue to resonate.
