Memorial prints (shini-e)

Part IV

 

Left panel: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Yasuchika Wakanosuke in the 1852 production of Kanadehon Chûshingura

Right panel: Shini-e printed from the same woodblocks in 1854

Censor’s seals: Mera and Watanabe (on shini-e only)

Publisher: Ebi-iya Rinnosuke

Left panel: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Kingorô in the 1850 production of Minoriyoshi Kogane no Kikuzuki

Right panel: Shini-e of Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII

Censor’s seals: Hama and Magome

Publisher: Ebi-iya Rinnosuke

Left panel: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Shirai Gompachi from the 1851-1852 series 36 Fashionable Restaurants of the Eastern Capital

Right panel: Shini-e of Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII

Censor’s seals: Mera and Watanabe

Publisher: Mikawa-ya Kihei

Two states of a shini-e of Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII, the panel on the right having the additional text 八代目 (8th generation)

Censors: Kinugasa and Watanabe

Publisher: Ebi-iya Rinnosuke

 

Actor: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII

Date: 1854

Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke

 

NOTE: The censor’s seals (Kinugasa and Murata) indicate that this print was originally issued in 1851-1852, and then reissued as a shini-e.

 

Title: Memorial Portrait of Actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII: Parody of the Death of the Historical Buddha

Actor: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII

Date: 1854

Publisher: No seal

Text: 嘉永七甲寅年八月六日, 猿白院成清日田信士, 行年三十二才, 辞世; うしろ不二難波に残す旅の空; 梅屋, 女猫まで袖になみだを, ふく牡丹 なくやひさごの, つるの林に

 

NOTE: This unsigned Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII shini-e shows his female admirers weeping.  It is probably by Kuniyoshi, who loved cats and often included them in his prints. 

Left panel: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII bowing to audience

Right panel: Shini-e of Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII

Date seal: 11th month of 1853

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Text on shini-e: Danjûrô VIII, Shirasaru Ichikawa, 32 years old (八代目団十郎事市川白猿 行年三十二才 法名観恵浄莚信士 嘉永七寅年八月六日)

The print on the right is an 1854 unsigned shini-e of Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII.  It was printed from the same woodblocks as an 1851 shini-e of Ichimura Takenojô V (left), with the face recut.  The added text reads 俗名 八代目 市川団十郎; 大坂天王寺村 一心寺; 猿白院成清日田信士 行年三十二才

 

Actor: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII with Emma (King of Hell) a fan and a demon

Date: 1854

Publisher: No seal

Text: 嘉永七甲寅年八月六日 法名浄莚信士 位大極上々吉 八代目市川団十郎 三十二才

This print shows the recently deceased Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII with actors of the past.

Title: 名僧七智識

Actors: Sawamura Sojûrô V (1802-1853) as the priest Karukaya Doshin (かるかや道心), Onoe Kikugorô III (1784-1849) as 日蓮上人, Ichimura Uzaemon XII (1812-1851) as 道成寺所化立花坊, Matsumoto Koshirô VI (1811-1849) as こうやの所化金生坊, Iwai Hanshirô V (1776-1846) as せいげん尼, Nakamura Utaemon IV (1798-1852) as をん生坊, and Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII (1823-1854) as Seigen (清玄)

Date: 1854

Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this unsigned diptych shows an oni trying to carry off Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII while his female fans try to hold on to him.

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate state of the above design. 

Actor: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII

Date: 1854

Publisher: No seal

 

NOTE: This print shows women mourning the suicide of actor Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII.  The composition of this print is normally used to portray the death of the Buddha.  Animals are frequently included among the Buddha’s mourners, and in this unsigned print, the single crying cat serves as Kuniyoshi’s signature. 

Actor: Triptych memorial for Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII

Date: 1854

Publisher:

The print on the left shows Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as the wicked priest Narukami Shonin (鳴神上人) in from the 5th month of 1851

Publisher: Kakumoto-ya Kinjirô (seal on post)

Censors’s seals: Mera and Watanabe

Text: Changed from Narukami Shonin (鳴神上人) on the left to the devine Shonin (なる神上人) on the right.

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this shini-e of Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Hayano Kanpei (center) with Arashi Kichisaburô III as Ôwashi Bungo (left) and Ichikawa Kuzô II as Hara Goemon (right), depicting his suicide as Kanpei’s seppuku from Act VI of Kanadehon Chûshingura.  The shini-e was modified from this print for the production of Kanadehon Chûshingura in the 3rd month of 1851:

 

The print on the left shows Bandô Takesaburô I as Ishidô Unemenosuke in Higashiyama Sakura sôshi (東山桜荘子) from the 8th month of 1851.  The print on the right is a shini-e from the same design with Kuniyoshiʼs signature, publisherʼs seal, and censorʼs seals removed.

Left sheet: Bandô Shuka I from a triptych for an unidentified play dated 12th month of 1854

Right sheet: 1855 shini-e

PublisherEbi-ya Rinnosuke

 

Memorial print of Kuniyoshi by his student Yoshi’iku

Date: 1861

PublisherHirooka-ya Kôsuke

Text一勇斎國芳 俗姓井草孫三郎号朝桜楼

  

法号深修院法山國芳信士文久元辛酉年

  

三月五日没 寿六十五 浅草八軒寺町大仙寺葬

  

楼号も手向くによし朝さくら 有人

  

すり合す袖にも霜の別れかな 魯文 

       

摘ためた袖にしほるゝ土筆かな 玄魚

 

Memorial print (shini-e) of Utagawa Kuniyoshi, holding pipe and cat netsuke, accompanied by his student Yoshifusa, who died in 1860

Signature: Remembered with tears, Ichigeisai Yoshitomi ga (Namida shinobi de Ichigeisai Yoshitomi ga, 涙偲びで一芸斎芳富)

Publisher: Shinagawa-ya Kyûsuke

Date: 3rd month of 1861

Text: 文久元年酉三月四日没一勇斎國芳行年六十五才法名深修院法山信士, 万延元年申六月十日一寶斎芳房行年二十四才法名釈速入信士

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