Giga (戯画)
Giga (or giga-e)
can be translated as comic prints or caricatures. In this section, are prints having many human
or anthropomorphic figures, with little or no interaction among the
figures. They are often signed “一勇斎 国芳
戯画”, which may be translated as “playfully drawn by Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi”.
The series Illustrated
Examples of Mad Sketches and Characters
from the Wastepaper Basket would fall into this category. These prints are each about 14 by 10 inches
(36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.
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Title: All Sorts on New Amazing
Pictures (新案 にたもの あきれるづくし, Shinan nitamo no akireru zukushi) Date: c. 1841 Publisher: |
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Title: All Kinds of Frogs (Kaeru zukushi, クゑるづくし) Description: Frogs as famous heroes of the kabuki stage Date: c. 1842 Publisher: Koshimura-ya Heisuke |
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Title: Date: 1842 Publisher’s
seals: Fujioka-ya Hikotarô (rectangle
at bottom left) and Ezaki-ya Tatsuzô (circle under double mountain under
signature) |
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Title: Utsushi-e, Japanese Phantasmagoria in Full Color by Toraku (Goku-zaishiki utsushi-e, Toraku) Date: c. 1827-1830 Publisher: NOTE: An utsushi (写し絵) is a traditional Japanese magic
lantern show |
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Title: One Hundred
People Outside Hokkaido (道外百人猩々) Date: c. 1839 Publisher: No seal |
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Title: Date: 8th
month of 1858 Publisher: |
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Title: Date: c. 1841 Publisher: |
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Title: Date: c. 1841 Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô |
Title: Date: c. 1841 Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi |
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Title: Date: c. 1841 Publisher: Izumi-ya Ichibei and Echizen-ya Heisaburô |
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Title: Fashionable Cats
Juggling Balls (流行猫の曲鞠 on
left sheet and 流行猫の曲手まり on right sheet) Date: c. 1841 Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya Uhei |
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Title: Fashionable Cats
Take on Actorsʼ Roles (流行猫の狂言づくし) Description: Cats as
actors in famous scenes from kabuki plays, with an actor
bowing to address the audience in the right lower corner Date: c. 1839 Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya Uhei |
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Title: Newly
Published Children’s Games (新板 子供あそびの芸以づくし) Size: Ôban
about 10 by 14 inches (25 by 36 centimeters) Description: Boys engaged
in various tests of strength Date: c. 1836-1838 Publisher: Ise-ya Rihei |
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