Nor would I consider seeking absolution by claiming I received this in an email and am intending to pass it along strictly as an academic illustration of how immature some people can be, people who should be ashamed of themselves but who obviously take prurient pride in their pre-adolescent recidivism.  Even were this plausible, 'twould be hypocritical, no?  And 'twouldn't one much prefer being perceived as shamelessly immature than as a practitioner of smarmy inconsistency?  Truly 'tis ponderable.

With that addressed, then, or, as is more fashionable if in most instances pompously redundant, that said, here's the text that came with the graphic:

Japanese fart scrolls prove that human art peaked centuries ago

Approximately 200-400 years ago during Japan's Edo period, an unknown artist created what is easily the most profound demonstration of human aesthetics ever committed to parchment. I am referring to He-Gassen a.k.a. , a.k.a. "the fart war." In this centuries-old scroll, women and men blow each other off the page with typhoon-like flatulence. Toss this in the face of any philistine who claims that art history is boring.

Gassy competitions weren't limited to the scenes of He-Gassen (which is hilariously named in retrospect). Fart wars were also used to express displeasure at the encroaching European influence in Edo Japan — artists would depict Westerners being blown home on thunderous toots.

Know that the below scenes contain more than a few disrobed body parts, but it's nothing worse than what you see in your average art museum (save for the roiling cyclones of rump mist, that is). You can read the full He-Gassen at Waseda University. And for more old-school blue humor, see these examples of ancient graffiti.

For those whose appetite for such exotic juvenalia has only just been piqued, here's a link to the webpage bearing more of the same.  Click away, children: Toot Scrolls

I just read Tom Cordle's most excellent post on flatulence that attracted some 32 ratings back in aught 9, way before I was even a gleam in OS's eye, and his post and Scanman's comment about a drawing he did as a youngster somehow sparked in my memory banks the image of a gif I've been saving there for just the right occasion.  Here, then, is the prize: