Actor triptychs
1846-1852
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These
actor triptychs and diptychs were published between the 12th month
of 1846 and the 2nd month of 1852, but I have been unable to
associate them with a particular production.
Prints published during this period generally bear two circular
censor’s seals without an oval date seal.
These seals are usually near the artist’s signature, and sometimes are
only found on a single sheet of a multi-sheet composition. |
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Actors: Left sheet:
Actors as a foot soldier (zohyo, ぞう兵) and a peasant
woman (shizunome) Center sheet: Actor as a peasant woman (shizunome) Right sheet: Actors as a mosquito net seller (kaya-uri, かやうり) and a common
man (shizunoo) Play: Possibly Igagoe Yomikiri koshaku, 2nd month of 1852 Date: 1849-1852
(censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: Minato-ya Kohei I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image and to both Lucienne
Parkan and Robert Pryor for information about the
triptych. |
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Actors: Left sheet:
Onoe Shinshichi Center sheet: Ichikawa Ebizô V and
Ichikawa Kodanji IV as Suketsune
and Asahina Right sheet: Play: Date: c. 1850 (censors
Hama and Kinugasa) Publisher: Isetsuru (伊勢鶴) NOTE: This triptych is a mitate, meaning that it is an imaginary
scene with actors who never actually appeared together on stage in these
roles. According to the website of the
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, this triptych may have been made to celebrate
the return to Edo of Ichikawa Ebizô V in the 3rd
month of 1850. I am grateful to Robert
Pryor for this image and to Lucienne Parkan for
information about the triptych. |
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Actors: Sawamura Sôjûrô V (left), Onoe Kikugorô Play: Probably Ise ondo
koi no netaba (伊勢音頭恋寝刃) Date: 1847-1850 (censors Mera
and Murata) Publisher: Fujioka-ya Hikotarô |
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Actors: Iwai Kumesaburô Date: 1848 (censors
Hama and Kinugasa) NOTE: This diptych
is from the series Select
Series of Book Titles. It is a mitate,
meaning that these actors did not perform these roles together on stage. |
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Title: Imayô Teruuji furudera no kozu
(Up-to-date Teruuji in an Old Picture at an Old
Temple, 今様輝氏古寺之古圖) Actors: In an
abandoned temple, actors as Teruuji (center)
offering a towel to his lover Tasogare (left) with Shinonome (しのゝめ, right) eavesdropping, carrying an oni
mask and an uchizue Play: A play based
on The Tale of Genji Date: 1849-1850
(censors Kinugasa and Watanabe) Theater: This triptych
is not believed to portray a specific production Publisher: Sawa-ya Kôkichi NOTE: This print is
not damaged; it shows a water damaged sliding door in an abandoned
temple. |
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I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate
state, with the differences most obvious in the right upper corner of the
triptych. |
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Triptych title:
Kawazu Saburô Sukemichi’s
Faction (Kawazu Saburô Sukemichi-ha,
河津三郎祐道ハ) Actors: Unidentified actors
as Hako-o Maru (箱王丸,
left), Kawazu Saburô Sukemichi
no rei, the ghost of Kawazu Saburô Sukemichi, the Soga brothers’ father (河津三郎祐道の霊,
center), and Soga Jûrô (right, 曽我十郎) Play: Probably a mitate (imaginary performance) Date:
1846-1848 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura) Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke Text: しよりやうのいこんニよつて赤沢山にて工藤祐経にうたるゝわすれかたみの兄弟一万箱王せいてうして十郎五郎と名のる五郎いまた箱王たりし時はこね山にてかたき祐経をうたんと山中のふとうそんにきせいかくるあるよ父のれひ夢中にあらわれ兄弟にちからおそゆかの冨士のすそのにおひかくついにほんもふをたつす事はよく人の見る所なり |
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Actors:
Probably Ickikawa Ebizô V
Play:
Date:
c. 1850 Publisher:
Maru-Han |
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Actors: Arashi Rikan
III as wrestler Hanaregoma no Chôkichi
(放駒長吉, left) and
Nakamura Utaemon IV as wrestler Nuregami Chôgorô (濡髪長五郎, right) Date: 1846-1852 Publisher:
Ôta-ya Takichi NOTE: This diptych is believed to be a mitate,
meaning that it is an imaginary scene with actors who never actually appeared
together on stage in these roles. Some
of the woodblocks for this diptych were partially recarved and used for the
production of Sekitori nidai no shobuzuke in the 9th month of 1850:
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Actors: Left sheet: Bandô Shûka I as Inuzuka Shinno (犬坂毛野, left
standing) and Nakayama Bungorô II as Tanaya Bungohei Center sheet: Actor as Inue Shinbei Masashi (犬江 親兵衛 仁) Right sheet: Unidentified actor as Inuyama
Dôsetsu Tadatomo (犬山道節忠興) Play: Possibly Satomi
hakkenden (History of the Eight Dogs of Satomi,
里見八犬伝) Date: 1849-1851
(censors Fuku and Muramatsu) Theater: Publisher: Ôta-ya Takichi NOTE: The woodblocks for two sheets from this triptych
were partially recarved and used for this diptych which illustrates a
performance of Satomi hakkenden in the 1st
month of 1852:
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Actors: Ichimura Uzaemon
XII (left), Nakamura Utaemon IV (center), and Bandô
Shûka I (right) Play:
Possibly Yoshitsune koshigoejô
(義経腰越状) Date:
1847-1848 (censors Hama and Kinugasa) Publisher: Ôta-yaTakichi |
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Actors: Play: Possibly Act
VIII of Kanadehon Chûshingura Date: 1846-1852 Publisher: Tsujioka-ya Bunsuke |
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Actors: Ichimura Takenojô V as a yûjo
(prostitute, 遊女) and his son
Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as a kamuro Play: Date: 1851 (censors
Muramatsu and Fuku) Publisher: Takada-ya Takezô NOTE: The two top prints were made for a kabuki
performance, with the text reading odori zukushi
(collection of dances, 踊り尽くし).
The two bottom prints are memorial prints (shini-e),
derived from the origin. I am grateful
to Marc DeVriese and Robert Pryor for the images. |
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Actors: Ichikawa Kodanji IV (left), Ichikawa Danjûrô
VIII as Soga Goro (center), and Bandô Shûka I as Suketsune (right) Play: Possibly Ichinotani mushae no iezuto (一谷武者画土産) in the 8th
month of 1849 Date: c. 1849-1850
(censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke I am grateful to Lucienne Parkan for
locating this image, which is either a parody print or a scene from parody Soga-Dojoji. |
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I am grateful to Ward Pieters for this image without the actors’
names. |
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Actors: Left sheet: Bandô Shûka I and Ichimura Uzaemon XII Right sheet: Nakamura Utaemon IV Play: Date: 1847-1848
(censors Hama and Kinugasa) Publisher: |
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Actors: Actor as
Minamoto Yoritomo (源 頼朝) under a pine tree Play: Date: 1850-1851
(with shita-uri seal) Publisher: |
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Diptych title: Picture of Banzui Chobei’s House (幡随長兵衛住家之図) Actors:
Left sheet: Ichikawa
Gangyoku I
as Tsurigane Yazaemon (鐘弥左衛門, rear) and Nakamura Tsuruzô
I as Hanjimono
Kihei (はんじ物喜兵衛) Right sheet: Ichikawa
Danjûrô VIII as Banzui
Chobei (幡随長兵衛) and Bandô Takesaburô I as Tôken Gombei (唐犬権兵衛, standing) Play: Possibly Kakitsubata Tamuke no Hanakawado Date: 1847-1850
(censors Mera and Murata) Publisher: Hayashi-ya Shôgorô |
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Actors: Play: Kanadehon Chûshingura Date: c. 1848 Publisher: Kame-ya Iwakichi NOTE: This print is
alternate state of a design in the warrior series Origins
of the True Loyalty of the Faithful Samurai |
