Individual Warrior Prints, 1838-1841

Part I

These prints are listed in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement as S1e. I am grateful to Robert Pryor for his contributions to this section.

	Scene: Watônai Sankwan (和藤内三官) overcoming a tiger under a pine tree Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei Date: c. 1840 Robinson: S1e.1 Image courtesy of Nora Deaver
	Scene: Nikki Gennosuke (仁木源之助) in rain with his foot on one of two beasts seeing the apparition of a dead man behind a tree Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô Date: c. 1840 Robinson: S1e.2
	Another state of the above design
	Scene: Kamada Matahachi (釜田又八) killing a monstrous cat in the mountains of Ise Province Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô (蔦屋吉蔵) Date: c. 1840 Robinson: S1e.3 Text: Kamada Matahatchi, an unrivalled and powerful man from Matsuzaka, Seishu (ie Ise Province), kills a big cat in the Suzuka mountains of that same province, 鎌田又八 勢州松坂の人無双強力なり同国鈴鹿の山中にてとしふる大猫を殺す)
	The woodblock for printing red was recut, resulting in small changes in the obi and flowers. The original is on the left, and the recut is on the right:
	Another state in which the sword is light blue, and there is more fur on top of the cat’s head. The latter was probably achieved by inking the woodblock that had previously been used uninked for karazuri (blind printing or embossing). Also, the seal of the censor Tanaka Heishirô (seal name Tanaka, 田中) was added on the bottom to the right of center. There are also some changes in the printing of the leaves
	Another state with a light blue sword and a red or pink signature cartouche. The kiwame seal, above the publisher’s seal has been crudely removed.
	Scene: Keyamura Rokusuke (毛谷村六助) struggling with three kappa on a riverbank with another swimming in the river Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô Date: c. 1840 Robinson: S1e.4 NOTE: Kappa are amphibious goblins with the body of a tortoise, the limbs of a frog and the head of a monkey
	Another state of the above design without any purple, with a blue cartouche, the kiwame seal removed, and the seal of the censor Tanaka Heishirô added
	Another state without bokashi (variation in lightness and darkness), which is most noticeable in the right lower corner
	Another state in which Tanaka Heishirô’s seal is on the rock
	Scene: Satô Shirô Tadanobu (佐藤四郎兵衛忠信) wearing Yoshitsune’s armor in snow on the balcony of the pagoda of Yoshino Temple Publisher: Sôshû-ya Yohei Date: c. 1840 Robinson: S1e.5
	Another state without any purple
	Keyblock print for the above design
	Scene: Endô Musha Moritô (遠藤武者盛遠) holding up Kesa-gozen’s severed head in the moonlight among falling maple leaves Publisher: Sôshû-ya Yohei Date: c. 1840 Robinson: S1e.6
	Another state without green fallen leaves in the bottom left corner
	Another state with the colors reversed in the cartouche
	Another state with solid red cartouches
	Scene: Kashiwade no Hanoshi (膳泣巴提使) in full armor glaring down at a tiger that clings to the edge of a snowy precipice Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi Date: c. 1840 Robinson: S1e.7 NOTE: Although Kashiwade no Hanoshi is written as 膳泣巴提使 on this print, it is more often written as 膳臣巴提使.
	This is a later edition, with the seals of the censors Mera and Murata above Kuniyoshi’s signature, published 1847-1850.
	This final drawing (hanshita-e) for an unpublished print of Kashiwade no Hanoshi (膳臣巴提使) in full armor glaring down at a tiger in the snow dates from about 1834.

“Robinson” refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement.

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