Giga (戯画)
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Giga (or giga-e)
can be translated as comic prints or caricatures. In this section, are prints having many human
or anthropomorphic figures, singly or in pairs, with little or no
interaction. 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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Description: Frogs as famous heroes of the kabuki stage Date: c. 1842 Publisher: Koshimura-ya Heisuke |
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I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this drawing titled Novel Frog
Games (Shinan kaeru
no asobi, 新案 かへるのあそび), c.
1841-1842. |
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Title: Description: From right to
left and top to bottom- Lightning
sharpening (Inazuma togi, 稲妻研ぎ); Big shower (Oyudachi,
大夕立); Rain dance (Hônen odori, 豊年おどり); Drying thunder (making
kanpyo [dried gourd strips], Kaminari boshi,
神鳴りぼし); Drumming tricks (Kyokuuchi, きょくうち); Coloring clouds (Kumo no saishiki,
雲のさいしき); Milling thunder (Usuhiki kaminari,
うす引き); and I do not like
thunder! (Kaminari kirai, 雷きらい) Date:
1842 Publisher’s
seals: Fujioka-ya Hikotarô (rectangle
at bottom left) and Ezaki-ya Tatsuzô (circle under double mountain under
signature) I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image and information. |
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I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate state of the
above design. |
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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: Comical Hand
Games, a Collection of Folk Dances (Teasobi
dôke yosakoi zukushi, 手遊道化 よさこいづくし) Date: 8th
month of 1858 Publisher: Enshû-ya Hikobei |
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Title: Comical Hand
Games, a Collection of Folk Dances (Teasobi
dôke yosakoi zukushi, 手遊道化 よさこいづくし) Date: 8th
month of 1858 Publisher: Enshû-ya Hikobei Text: 狸がけぬき買に来た, お医者げいしやの供をする, 目くらが眼がねを買て行, かつぱがかつぱを買てゐる, 小町が田町でかごにのり, 天狗が年貢を取に行, 按摩がさんまをさげて行, 不動がぶどうを持てゐる, 喜撰が茶筌をあいします, 親仁がわらじを買て来, 雀が皷にとまつて居, はんにやがあんぎやにあるきます I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this
image.
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Title: The 12 Zodiac
Animals as Craftsmen (Jûnishi mitate shokunin zukushi, 十二支見立職人づくし) Date: c. 1840 Publisher: NOTE: The images
are Rat (子) as wire mesh
maker (金網師), Cow (牛) as cartwright
(車匠), Tiger (寅) as bamboo
worker (竹細工), Hare (卯) as shipwright
(船大工), Dragon (辰) as indigo
maker (玉師), Snake (巳) as maigo-fuda (metal ID tags attached to children
with their zodiac birth year, name, and address) engraver (迷子札彫師), Horse (午) as comb maker
(鼈甲匠), Sheep or Goat)
(未) as
hairdresser (髪結), Monkey(申) as tailor (股引仕立), Rooster (酉) as karakuri (automata) maker (時計匠), Dog (戌) as bowl maker
(碗師), and Boar (亥) as artificial
flower maker (造花). I am grateful to Robert Pryor for the
images and information. |
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Title: Description: craftsmen at
work–master lumberjack (soma-shi, そま師), master
matmaker (tatami-shi, 疂師), master
bamboo weaver (kagozaiku-shi, 篭細工師), master
cooper (okeya-shi, 桶屋師), master
engraver (horimono-shi, ほり物師), master
embroiderer (nuihaku-shi, ぬい伯師), master
plasterer (sakan-shi, 左官師), and master
bow maker (yumi-shi, 弓師). Date: c. 1841-1842 Publisher: koga-ya katsugorô I am grateful to Robert Pryor for the
image and information. |
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Title: Description: Birds
performing a variety of kabuki scenes Date: c. 1841 Publisher: Jôshû-ya Kinzô I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image. |
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Title: The Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin,
七福神) Description: The seven
lucky gods with children Date: c. 1839-1842 Publisher: Jôshû-ya Jûzô Signature: Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi giga
ga (一勇斎 國芳 戯 画) I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image. |
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Title: Untitled Description:
Date: c. 1841 Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image and information. |
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Another state of the above diptych |
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Title: Yae kokonoe hana no sugatae, Onoe Tamizô… (八重九重花姿絵, 尾上多見蔵相勤申候) Description: Actors in
various roles Date: 1841 Publisher: Izumi-ya Ichibei and Echizen-ya Heisaburô NOTE: These two
sheets may not have been intended as a diptych. They portray characters from two different plays
that were performed together in the Nakamura Theater in the 7th
month of 1841. The right sheet shows Onoe Tamizô II in eight roles
he performed in the play Yae kokonoe hana no Sugata-e (八重九重花姿絵). The left sheet shows Onoe
Tamizô II as Tenjiku Tokubei (天竺徳兵衛), Dainichimaru (大日丸), Tokubei (徳兵衛), Rokusaburo (六三郎), and as Saichiro’s ghost (佐市郎死霊). The left sheet also shows Onoe Eizaburô III (no role),
Nakayama Genjûrô I as 願?坊, and Nakamura Tsuruzô I as Oyama Tokijir (小山時五郎) in Tenjiku Tokubei banri no irifune (天竺徳兵衛万里入船). I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this
image and information. |
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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 NOTE: This diptych is
based on stunts performed by the juggler Kikukawa Kunimaru. I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this
image. |
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I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate
state without any purple. |
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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 (Shinpan kodomo asobi no uchi, 新版子供あそびの内) 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 NOTE: “Newly published
children’s games” is the title of a series to which this print belongs. |
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Title: Crazy Pictures
(Kyôga, 抂画) Description: Minamoto Ushiwakamaru (源牛若丸) amused at the
contests while Mutsu no Kami Hidehira (陸奥守秀衡) prepares a
neck-wrestling band; Sakata no Kintoki (坂田金時) arm-wrestles
with Urabe no Suetake (卜部 季武); Oda Harunaga (織田春長, Oda Nobunaga)
cheers on Asahina (朝比奈) as he
leg-wrestles with one of the Ashinaga (足長島, long leg
islanders), cheered by the tiny islanders; Watanabe no Tsuna (渡邊綱) neck-wrestles
with the Irabaki demon near the fallen kinsatsu board (禁札) of Hojo
Temple as Hôjô Tokimasa (北條時政) referees and
Tomoe Gozen (巴御前) watches; Nenoi Yukichika (根井大弥太) and Tosanobo Shoshun (土佐坊昌俊) wrestle next
to a tetsubo; Satsuma-no-kami Tadanori (薩摩守忠度) and Musashibo Benkei (武蔵坊弁慶) take a
neck-wrestling tumble; Shitenno Sato四王天左島) and Sato Masakiyo (加藤 清正, Kato Kiyomasa) get neck-wrestling wrong Date: c. 1846-1848 Publisher: NOTE: This diptych is
signed Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi giga ga (一勇斎 國芳戯 画).
I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image. |
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