Actors playing the game of ken,
Part I
Prints depicting the game of ken (拳) are called ken no e (拳の絵). Ken was often played as a drinking game and was incorporated into several kabuki plays as a dance. The prints with small human figures illustrate the dance steps. After the imposition of a ban on actor prints in 1842, Kuniyoshi produced numerous humorous designs with thinly disguised actors’ portraits as animals or other objects playing ken. All the prints reproduced in this section are either single ôban (about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) or composed of more than one ôban sheet placed side-by-side. Additional information about these prints may be found in the article: Linhart, Sepp, Kuniyoshi’s Ken Caricatures between 1847 and 1853, Andon, Vol. 83, 2008, pp. 5-29. |
Title: Description: Actors Ichikawa Kinshô (市川錦升), Segawa Tamon II (瀬川多門), and Ichimura Kakitsu
III (市村家橘) playing ken Date: c. 1833 Publisher: No seal Linhart: Not
listed |
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Title: Ken Exercises
(Ken no keiko) Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichikawa Kuzô
II, and Matsumoto Kinshô I playing ken
Date: 1847 Publisher: Ta (phonetic
pronunciation of た), possibly fake Linhart: 2/10124 NOTE: This print is
unsigned |
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Title: Totetsuru ken hitori keiko (とてつるけんひとりけいこ) Description: Three actors
in female roles (onnagata) are
playing the game of kitsune-ken Date: 5th
month of 1847 (censors Mera and Murata) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Kinzô (上金) Linhart: 6/10009 |
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Title: Ataru ken kurabe Description: Three actors
as fishermen Date: 3rd
month of 1847 Publisher: Nomura-ya Tokubei Linhart: 8/10063 |
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Title: Comical Ken
Game of Darumas (Dôke Daruma ken, 道化だるまけん) Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV (right), Ichikawa Kuzô II
(center) and Matsumoto Kinshô I (left) playing the
game of ken. Date: 3rd
month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura) Publisher: Hori Masa Linhart: 11/10073 NOTE: This print is
from the series “Daruma’s Buffoonery” (Dôke Daruma asobi) which is listed as
number 191 in Kuniyoshi by Basil
William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). The background is printed in yellow, as in
other prints from this series. |
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I am grateful to Marc DeVriese for this
variant with bokashi (gradual
shading of color) on only one figure. |
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Title: A Ken Game for Good
Fortune in the New Year of the Monkey (Iroma sarutoshi haru no kotobuki
ocha no ko ken, 色真申歳 春の寿き お茶のこけん) Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV depicted as pine, Ichikawa Kuzô II as a turtle, and Seki
Sanjûrô Date: 1st
month of 1848 (censors Publisher: Ebisu-ya Shôshichi Linhart: 28/10020 |
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Title: Hôrai-ken Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichikawa Kuzô
II, and Seki Sanjûrô Date: 2nd
month of 1848 Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi Linhart: 30/10144 |
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Title: Three
Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken, 三国券) Description: Ichimura Uzaemon XII (in front) as the Ise Shrine of Japan (Nihon Daijingû), Nakamura Utaemon IV
(at left) as the Buddha in India (Tenjiku Shaka),
and Seki Sanjûrô III (in back) as Confucius in Chi
playing ken Date: 12th
month of 1848 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura) Publisher: Fujioka-ya Keijirô Linhart: 31/10041 |
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Title: Three
Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV as Nippon Daijingû (the goddess
Amaterasu from Japan), Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Morokoshi Kôshi (Confucius from China), and Seki Sanjûrô Date: 1st
month of 1849 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura) Publisher: Ômi-ya Heihachi Linhart: 32/10035 |
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Another state of the above print with altered text |
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Title: Three
Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken, 三国券) Dance interlude: Shinki ikken tori no hatsugoe (A Ken Game
with New Rules to the First Cry of the Cock) Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV as Nippon Daijingû (the goddess
Amaterasu from Japan), Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Morokoshi Kôshi (Confucius from
China), and Seki Sanjûrô Date: 1st
month of 1849 Publisher: Linhart: Not listed I am grateful to Marc DeVriese for this
image. |
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Title: Three
Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Dance interlude: Shinki ikken tori no hatsugoe (A Ken Game
with New Rules to the First Cry of the Cock) Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV as Nippon Daijingû
(the goddess Amaterasu from Japan), Ichimura Uzaemon
XII as Morokoshi Kôshi
(Confucius from China), and Seki Sanjûrô III as Tenjiku Shaka (Shakayamuni, the
historical Buddha from India) playing ken Date: 1st
month of 1849 (censors Publisher: Ôta-ya Takichi Linhart: 37/10036 I am grateful to Marc DeVriese for this
image. |
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Title: Three
Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Dance interlude: Shinki ikken tori no hatsugoe (A Ken Game
with New Rules to the First Cry of the Cock) Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV as Nippon Daijingû
(the goddess Amaterasu from Japan), Ichimura Uzaemon
XII as Morokoshi Kôshi
(Confucius from China), and Seki Sanjûrô III as Tenjiku Shaka (Shakayamuni, the
historical Buddha from India) playing ken Date: 1st
month of 1849 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura) Publisher: Ôta-ya Takichi Linhart: 38/10037 |
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Title: Three
Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Dance interlude: Shinki ikken tori no hatsugoe (A Ken Game
with New Rules to the First Cry of the Cock) Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV as the fortuneteller (uranaisha)
Sangokuken of Komagata, (standing left), Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Tobigashira Kakichi (sitting) and Seki Sanjûrô
Date: 1st
month of 1849 (censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: Koga-ya Katsugorô Linhart: 39/10039 I am grateful to Michel Ouellet for locating this image. |
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Title: Three
Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken, 三国拳) Dance interlude: Shinki ikken tori no hatsugoe (A Ken Game
with New Rules to the First Cry of the Cock) Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV (representing the Buddha in
India), Ichimura Uzaemon XII (representing
Confucius in China), and Seki Sanjûrô III
(representing the Ise Shrine in Japan) playing ken Date: 1st
month of 1849 (censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: No seal Linhart: 40/10038 |
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Another state of the above design without any green |
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Title: Finishing
Kickball Practice at the Studio for Instruction in the Arts (Shogei shiansho nite mari no keiko osumi, 諸げい指安所にてまりのけいこおすみ); The Ken Game
of the Three Countries (Sangoku ken, 三国拳) Dance interlude: Shinki ikken tori no hatsugoe (A Ken Game
with New Rules to the First Cry of the Cock) Description: Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Tobigashira Kakichi (鳶頭嘉吉), Fujikawa Kayû III as the country girl (inaka
musume) Ohana (田舎娘お花), and Seki Sanjûrô III as the
quack doctor (taiko isha) Hôfutei (たいこ医者宝富亭) Date: 1st
month of 1849 (censors Publisher: Okaei Linhart: 41/10040 |
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Print title: Yôji gakure no zu (ようじがくれの図) Dance interlude: Shinki ikken tori no hatsugoe (A Ken Game
with New Rules to the First Cry of the Cock) Description: Bandô Shuka I as Ôiso of
Naka-no-chô (大磯中の町お秀, standing right), Nakamura Utaemon
IV as the fortuneteller (uranaisha) Sangokuken of Komagata (浅草の郷者三国軒, crouching), and Ichimura Uzaemon
XII as Tobigashira Kakichi
(鳶頭嘉吉, standing left) playing ken Date: 1st
month of 1849 Theater: Ichimura Publisher: Izutsu-ya Shôkichi Linhart: /10043 |
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Title: Three
Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Dance interlude: Shinki ikken tori no hatsugoe (A Ken Game
with New Rules to the First Cry of the Cock) Description: Actors
Nakamura Utaemon IV as Nippon Daijingû
(the goddess Amaterasu from Japan), Ichimura Uzaemon
XII as Morokoshi Kôshi
(Confucius from China), and Seki Sanjûrô III as Tenjiku Shaka (Shakayamuni, the
historical Buddha from India) playing ken Date: 1st
month of 1849 Publisher: Takano-ya Tomoemon Linhart: 42/10044 NOTE: This print is
unsigned |
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Title: Dance interlude: Shinki ikken tori no hatsugoe (A Ken Game
with New Rules to the First Cry of the Cock) Description: Actors Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Tobigashira Kakichi (鳶頭嘉吉), Seki Sanjûrô III as the quack doctor (taiko
isha) Hôfutei (たいこ医者宝富亭), and Bandô Shûka
I as Ohide of Naka-no-chô
in Ôiso (大礒中の町お秀) Date: 1st
month of 1849 censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: Wakasa-ya Uhei Linhart: Not listed |
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Title: Three
Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Description: Nakamura Utaemon IV as the fortuneteller (uranaisha)
Sangokuken of Komagata playing the shamisen Date: 1st
month of 1849 (censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: Ôta-ya Takichi (called Hori Takichi of Yushima in Kuniyoshi
by B. W. Robinson) Linhart: Not listed |
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Title: Teach Yourself
the Ken Game of the Three Countries (Sangoku
ken o sono mama ni hitori keiko, 三国拳を そのまゝに 独けいこ) Description: Actor
Nakamura Utaemon IV playing the shamisen Date: 1st
month of 1849 Publisher: Linhart: 44/10049 |
“Linhart” refers to listing in the article ‘Kuniyoshi’s Ken Caricatures between 1847 and 1853’, by Sepp Linhart in Andon, Vol. 83, 2008, pp. 5-29 |