Children, Part I
Prints of children account for a small fraction of ukiyo-e prints. Some of theses show karako (boys in ancient Chinese dress). This genre includes the series listed as 65, 81, 109, 114, 116, 119, 123, 129, 132, 136, 138, 142, and 146 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). I am grateful to Ward Pieters for assisting with this section.
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Series:
Weavers’ Children in the Silk-worm House (Sanka shokushi nu zu) Robinson:
116 Title: No.
1, Picture of beginning of silkworm rearing
Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
A boy carrying two baskets of mulberry leaves on a pole on his shoulders
while two other children prepare the silk worm eggs Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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Series: Weavers’
Children in the Silk-worm House (Sanka shokushi nu zu) Robinson:
116 Title: No.
2, Picture of picking mulberry leaves Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Two children harvesting mulberry leaves Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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Series:
Weavers’ Children in the Silk-worm House (Sanka shokushi nu zu) Robinson:
116 Title: No.
3, Picture of cutting mulberry leaves and feeding silkworms Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
One child is cutting mulberry leaves with a cleaver while two others are
feeding the leaves to silkworms Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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Series:
Weavers’ Children in the Silk-worm House (Sanka shokushi nu zu) Robinson:
116 Title: No.
4, Picture of sleeping before fifth ecdysis (molting) Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
A girl is using a feather to clean a tray of ‘sleeping’ silkworms while two
boys are standing behind her with mulberry leaves Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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Series:
Weavers’ Children in the Silk-worm House (Sanka shokushi nu zu) Robinson:
116 Title: No.
5, Picture of silkworm of fifth instar (stage between two moltings) Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Three children standing with two baskets of mulberry leaves Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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Series:
Weavers’ Children in the Silk-worm House (Sanka shokushi nu zu) Robinson:
116 Title: No.
6, Picture of cocoons Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Three children–one holding a tray of cocoons and another kneeling by a tray
on the floor Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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This is another edition of
the above print. The square on the
right side below the main cartouche has been recut. |
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Series:
Weavers’ Children in the Silk-worm House (Sanka shokushi nu zu) Robinson:
116 Title: No.
7, Picture of silk moth and silkworm eggs production Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Three children kneeling on the floor watching silkworm moths fly away Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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Series: Weavers’
Children in the Silk-worm House (Sanka shokushi nu zu) Robinson:
116 Title: No.
8, Picture of the making of raw silk by hand Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Three children extracting raw silk from cocoons Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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This is another edition of
the above print. The square in the
right upper corner has been recut. |
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Series:
Weavers’ Children in the Silk-worm House (Sanka shokushi nu zu) Robinson:
116 Title: No.
9, Picture of the making of silk floss by hand Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Three children around a small stove making silk floss Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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Series:
Weavers’ Children in the Silk-worm House (Sanka shokushi nu zu) Robinson:
116 Title: No.
10, Picture of the hand weaving of silk fabric Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Two children at a loom Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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Series:
Children’s Games for the Five Festivals (Osana asobi go sekku
no uchi)
Robinson:
129 Title: Tanabata (七夕) Star Festival or
Seventh Night on July 7 Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Wakasa-ya Yoichi (Jakurindô) |
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Another state of the above
print |
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Series:
Children’s Games for the Five Festivals (Osana asobi go sekku
no uchi)
Robinson:
129 Title: Yayoi (弥生) Girls’ Festival Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Wakasa-ya Yoichi (Jakurindô) |
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Series:
Children’s Games for the Five Festivals (Osana asobi go sekku
no uchi)
Robinson:
129 Title: Tango (端午) Boys’ Festival Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Wakasa-ya Yoichi (Jakurindô) |
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Series:
Children’s Games for the Five Festivals (Osana asobi go sekku
no uchi)
Robinson:
129 Title: Kiku no tsuki (菊月) Chrysanthemum
Festival Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Boys wrestling Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Wakasa-ya Yoichi (Jakurindô) |
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Another state of the above
print |
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Series:
Children’s Games for the Five Festivals (Osana asobi go sekku
no uchi)
Robinson:
129 Title: Seiyô (青陽) New Year Size: Ôban
(about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) Description:
Boys in a parade Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Wakasa-ya Yoichi (Jakurindô) |
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The woodblocks for the
above print were reworked in the second month of 1847 to produce this
image. The print now bears the title Ken no keiko
(Ken Exercises) and has the following text: Sake wa kenzake
(sake o tsugu furi o shite) shikarareta (atama
o osaeru koto) |
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Series:
Children’s Games (Kodomo asobi no uchi) Robinson:
114 Title: Size: Ôban
(about 10 by 14 inches or 25 by 36 centimeters) Description:
Children playing in the snow with a snow Daruma
(Japanese snowman) Date: c.
1836 Publisher:
Ise-ya Rihei Image courtesy of Richard Illing |
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Series:
Children’s Games (Kodomo asobi no uchi) Robinson:
114 Title: Size: Ôban
(about 10 by 14 inches or 25 by 36 centimeters) Description:
children playing with kites and battledores Date: c.
1836 Publisher:
Ise-ya Rihei |
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Series:
Children’s Games (Kodomo asobi no uchi) Robinson:
114 Title: Size: Ôban
(about 10 by 14 inches or 25 by 36 centimeters) Description:
Children on the shore with fishing rods and climbing trees Date: c.
1836 Publisher:
Ise-ya Rihei NOTE: This
print is by Kuniyoshi’s student and daughter Yoshitora,
but belongs to the same series. |
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Series:
Children’s Games (Kodomo asobi no uchi) Robinson:
114 Title: Size: Ôban
(about 10 by 14 inches or 25 by 36 centimeters) Description:
Children at play Date: c.
1836 Publisher:
Ise-ya Rihei NOTE: This
print is by Kuniyoshi’s student and daughter Yoshitora,
but belongs to the same series. |
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‘Robinson’ refers to listing of the series in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961).
