Battledores in Patchwork.
(Oshive hago-ita, 押絵羽子板)
Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô
1845
Battledores
(hago-ita)
are rackets used in a game similar to badminton called “battledore and
shuttlecock” in English and “hanetsuki” in Japanese.
A shuttlecock (hane)
is volleyed back-and-forth without a net.
The game is usually played by women and children. In this series of prints, heroic women and
children from history and legend are pictured on battledores. This series is not listed in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil
William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982), but it is
listed in the book’s privately published
supplement as S35a. The prints are
each about 14 by 5 inches (36 by 13 centimeters), a size known as chûtanzakuban. |
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Character: Kaidômaru (怪童丸), the boyhood
name of Sakata no Kintoki Robinson: S35a.1 |
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Character: Yamauba (山うば), the mother
of Kaidômaru Robinson: S35a.2 |
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Title: O-Kane from Ômi (Ômi no O-Kane, 近江のお鈊) Character: O-Kane
(Kane-jo) the strong woman of Robinson: S35a.3 |
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Character: The poetess Shûshiki (秋色) holding a roll of paper and looking
over one shoulder Robinson: S35a.4 |
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Another state of the above print |
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Character: Hako-ô Maru (箱王丸), the
childhood name of Soga Gorô Tokimune Robinson: unlisted |
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Character: Ushiwaka Maru (牛若丸, the boyhood
name of Yoshitsune) Robinson: unlisted Information courtesy of Richard Illing |
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Character: Asahina (朝比奈) Robinson: unlisted I am grateful to Quirin Maas for this
image. |
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A modern hago-ita
(battledore) and a modern hane (shuttlecock) |
“Robinson” refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement. CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN
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