Celebrated Products of
Mountains and Seas,
Part I
(Sankai medetai zue, 山海目出度圖會)
1852
In
this series of prints, beautiful women (bijin)
of different classes and occupations express desires or feelings. An inset in the left upper corner, by one
of Kuniyoshi’s pupils, shows the production of one of |
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Number: 1 Title: Wakasaya Yoichi (若狭) Product: Location: Wakasa in the
northwestern part of Fukui Desire or
feeling: Publisher: Mikawa-ya Kihei |
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Number: 2 Product: Whales at Hirado (Hirado no kujira) Location: Hirado Desire or
feeling: Can’t wait to see you (Hayaku mitai) Publisher: Izumi-ya Ichibei |
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Number: 3 Product: Night fishing
in Tamba Location: Tamba Desire or
feeling: Publisher: Jôshûya Kinzô |
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Number: 4 Product: Net-hunted
duck (kasumiami kamo) Location: Desire or
feeling: wishing to dream a happy dream (Yoi yume demo mitai) Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei |
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Number: 5 Title: Shrimp from
Ise (Ise ebi,
伊勢海老) Product: Shrimp Location: Desire or
feeling: It is too heavy Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô |
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This is an alternate version of the above print. It is made from the same woodblocks, but
the background of the main image and the foreground of the inset are black,
or almost black. |
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Number: 6 Product: Octopus (nagahama tako, 長浜章魚) Location: Iyo Province (伊予) Desire or
feeling: Publisher: Jôshûya Kinzô |
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Number: 7 Product: Giant octopus
from Location: Desire or
feeling: It hurts (Oo itai, おお,いたい) Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô |
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Number: 8 Product: Geese Location: Takanawa in Desire or
feeling: Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei |
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Number: 9 Product: Linen cloth (nuno, 布) Location: Echigo Province (越後) Desire or
feeling: Wish to remove make-up (Mimama ni naritai) Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei |
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Number: 10 Product: Dried bonito Location: Tosa Province Desire or
feeling: Publisher: Mikawa-ya Kihei I am grateful to Lucienne Parkan for
information about this print. |
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Number: 11 Product: Salamanders (Zushû sanshô-uo) Location: Desire or
feeling: Sleepy (Nemuttai,
眠ったい) Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei |
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Number: 12 Title: Stone from
Toyoshima (Sanuki Teshima seki, 讃岐豊島右) Product: Quarried
stone Location: Toyoshima Desire or
feeling: Wanting to see parents Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô |
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This is another state of the above print with different
coloration including a solid red title cartouche. |
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Number: 13 Title: Jellyfish
from Bizen (Bizen suibo, 備前水母) Product: Jellyfish Location: Desire or
feeling: Publisher: Jôshûya Kinzô |
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Number: 14 Product: Sea cucumbers
(nama namako) Location: Desire or
feeling: Wanting to suckle (chichi
ga nomitai) Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei |
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Number: 15 Product: Sea urchins Location: Echizen Province (越前雲丹) Desire or
feeling: Tickling (くすぐったい) Publisher: Jôshûya Kinzô |
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Number: 16 Product: Octopus (iidako, 飯蛸) Location: Izumi Province (泉州) Desire or feeling: Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei |
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Number: 17 Title: Limestone
from Ômi (Ômi ishibai, 近江右灰) Product: Limestone (sekkai) Location: Desire or
feeling: Wish to ask a favor (Otanomi moshitai) Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô |
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Number: 18 Title: Kishu kumano seki masa (紀州熊野右苴) Product: Kumano River salted salmon wrapped in bamboo leaves
(Kumano arakumi,
熊野 石苴) Location: Kishu Province
(紀州) Desire or
feeling: Desire to try on new kimono (hayaku kite mitai) Publisher: Jôshûya Kinzô |
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This is a simplified and less labor intensive printing of the
above design. The delicate shading (bokashi) in the background and on the
mountain in the insert has been eliminated.
Bokashi was achieved by
hand-applying a gradation of ink to the wooden printing block rather than
inking the block uniformly. This
hand-application had to be repeated for each sheet of paper that was
printed. |
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Number: 19 Title: Octopus from
Takasago in Banshu (Banshu Takasuna tako,
播州高砂蛸) Product: Octopus Location: Takasago in Banshu Province Desire or
feeling: Desire to decide as soon
as possible Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei |
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Number: 20 Title: Eight-eyed
eel from Lake Suwa, Shinano
Province (Shinshû Suwa yatsume unagi, 信州諏訪八目鰻) Product: Lamprey eels
(yatsume unagi) Location: Suwa Desire or
feeling: How cold it is! Publisher: Mikawa-ya Kihei |
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Number: 22 Product: Whitebait
fish (白魚) Location: Nishimiya in Shinano Province (志州西宮) Desire or feeling: Desire to see the next
volume (tsuzuki ga mitai, 続きが見たい) Publisher: Tsuta-ya
Kichizô |
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Number: 23 Title: Hidan Jinzugawa masu (飛弾 神通 川鱒) Product: Jintsu River trout (Jintsu-gawa masu,
神通 川 鱒) Location: Hida Province (飛騨) Desire or
feeling: Wish to wear this (Kore
ga kitai) Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei |
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Number: 24 Title: Butterbur
Greens from Akita (Dewa Akita fuki, 羽州秋田蕗) Product: Butterbur
greens (yamabuki)
Location: Desire or
feeling: Desire to eat something delicious (oishimono ga tabetai) Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei |
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