Polyptychs of four or more sheets
Part I
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Unless otherwise noted, the individual panels are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban. I am grateful to Ward Pieters for assisting with this section. |
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Title
of polyptych: Stylish Handsome Faces in the Summer (Tôsei natsu no fuji bitai, 當盛夏の富士びたい) Actors
from left: First: Iwai Kumesaburô III Second: Sawamura Chôjûrô
V Third: Arashi Kichisaburô
III Fourth: Bandô Shûka
I Fifth: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII Date: 6th
month of 1852 Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke
(海老屋林之助) |
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Actors: A single
sheet from another state of the above polyptych showing Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII Date: 6th
month of 1852 Publisher: Ebi-ya
Rinnosuke |
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Actors from
left: First:
Onoe Matsusuke
III as Akazawa Jûsaku (赤沢十作) Second:
Ichikawa Ebizô V as Dozaemon
Denkichi (土左衛門伝吉) Third:
Onoe Kikugorô III as Kichisaburô (吉三郎) Fourth:
Iwai Hanshirô VI as yaoya
Oshichi (八百屋お七) Play: Sono
mukashi koi no edozome
(其往昔恋江戸染) Date:
1st month of 1833 Theater:
Kawarasaki Publisher:
Kawaguchi-ya Shôzô |
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Title:
Flowers of Edo: Five Otokodate (Edo no hana no gonin otoko, 江戸の花五人男) Actors from left: First: Sawamura Tosshô I as Gokuin Chiemon (極印千右衛門) Second: Nakamura Shikan II as Otonai (安の平兵衛) Third: Bandô Mitsugorô IV as Hotei Ichiemon (布袋市右衛門) Fourth: Ichikawa Danjûrô
VII as Rai Shokuro (雷庄九郎) Fifth: Onoe Kikugorô III as Karigane Bunshichi (雁金文七) Play: Theater: Date: 1835 Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya
Chôzô NOTE: In this
polyptych and in the two following, the background is printed entirely in
Prussian blue, a style known as aizuri-e. Bandô Mitsugorô IV’s name is
written as Bandô Shûchô (坂東 秀調), instead of as Bandô Mitsugorô (坂東 三津五郎). |
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Title: Flowers
of Edo: Five Otokodate (Edo no hana no gonin otoko, 江戸の花五人男) Actors from left: First: Sawamura Tosshô I as Gokuin Chiemon (極印千右衛門) Second: Nakamura Shikan II as Otonai (安の平兵衛) Third: Bandô Mitsugorô IV as Hotei Ichiemon (布袋市右衛門) Fourth: Ichikawa Danjûrô
VII as Rai Shokuro (雷庄九郎) Fifth: Onoe Kikugorô III as Karigane Bunshichi (雁金文七) Play: Theater: Date: 1835 Publisher: Edo-ya
Matsugorô NOTE: This is
another state of the preceding pentaptych |
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Actors from
left: First: Ichikawa Ebizô V Second: Bandô Mitsugorô Play: Theater: Date: 1832 Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya
Chôzô |
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Five actors in the dance Jidai Sewa Hina
no Danmaku with insets showing actors in the
play Kanadehon Chûshingura Actors from
left: First: Bandô Shûka
I as Taiko (太鼓); inset is Ichimura Takenojô
V as Ôboshi Yuranosuke (大星由良之助) Second: Arashi Kishisaburô
III as Otsuzumi (大鼓); inset is Bandô Shûka I as koshimoto Okaru (こし元於かる) Third: Ichikawa Kuzô II as Kotsuzumi (小つゞみ); inset is Ichikawa
Danjûrô VIII as Hayano Kanpei
(早野勘平) Fourth: Ichimura Takenojô V as Utai (謡); inset is Arashi Kishisaburô Fifth: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Fue (笛); inset is Ichikawa Kuzô II as Takano Moronao (高の師直) Play: Jidai Sewa
Hina no Danmaku (古今ひなの段幕) Date: 2nd
month of 1851 (censors Hama and Magome)
Theater: Ichimura Publisher: Te (phonetic reading of て) I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image. |
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Another state of the above polyptych |
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Title: Songs for Spring Worth One Thousand Gold Coins (Shun ei, atai sen
kin, 春詠價千金) Actors from
left: First: Arashi Rikan II Second: Nakamura Kanjaku II (died 1842) Third: Ichimura Kakitsu Fourth: Ichikawa Hakuen III Fifth: Iwai Shijaku I Play: Probably Jidai
Sewa Hina no Danmaku
(古今ひなの段幕) Theater: Date: c. 1840-1842 Publisher: Izumi-ya
Ichibei I am grateful to Frederik Balhuizen and Josta Klaassen for this image. |
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Actors from left: First:
Sawamura Sôjûrô V as Gokuin Chiemon (極印千右衛門) Second:
Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Karigane Bunshichi (雁金文七) Third:
Nakamura Utaemon IV as Hotei Ichiemon
(布袋市右衛門) Fourth:
Ichikawa Kuzô II as Otonai
(安の平兵衛) Fifth:
Matsumoto Koshirô VI as Rai Shokuro (雷庄九郎) Play: Theater: Date: 1846-1848 (censors
Muramatsu and Yoshimura) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Juzô |
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Title: 正名江戸っ子揃 Actors from left: First: Ichikawa Kuzô II as Otonai (安の平兵衛) Second: Ichikawa Ebizô V as Rai Shokuro (雷正九郎) Third: Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Karigane Bunshichi (雁金文七) Fourth: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Hotei Ichiemon (布袋市右衛門) Fifth: Sawamura Tosshô I as Gokuin Chiemon (極印千右衛門) Play: Theater: Date: c. 1833-1835 Publisher: Sôshû-ya Yohei |
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Another
state of the above center sheet with actor’s name
changed Ichimura Uzaemon (市村羽左衛門)
to from Iwai Hanshirô (岩井半四郎) |
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This altered version of the above design bears the seals of the
censors Fuku and Muramatsu, indicating a date of 1849-1851. |
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Title:
None Actors from left: Ichikawa Ebizô V as Kaminari no Onaka (雷庄のおなか) Onoe Baikô III as Gokuin no Osen (極印のおせん) Iwai Tojaku
I as Hotei no Oichi Play:
A mitate (roles not actually performed on stage) Date:
1832-1846 Publisher:
Edo-ya Matsugorô NOTE: Well-known
actors are shown in female roles. The
resemblance to the Five Otokodate suggests
that these three sheets are from a polyptych of five sheets. I am grateful to Marc DeVriese
for this image. |
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Actors from left: First: Iwai Hanshirô VI as Maidzuru (まいづる) Second: Ichikawa Ebizô V as Soga no Gorô Tokimune (五郎時宗) Third: Sawamura Tosshô I as Kudo Saemon (工藤祐つね) Fourth: Onoe Kikugorô III as Jûrô Sukenari (十郎祐成) Play: Fuji
Ogito Mimasu Soga (富士扇三升曽我) Date:
1st month of 1833 Theater: Kawarasaki Publisher:
Yamaguchi-ya Tobei |
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Title: Teijo misaho kagami (貞女みさほかゞみ or てい女みさほ鏡) Description: Actor in
front of silhouettes of revelers in a greenhouse (brothel) Actors from
left: First:
Onoe Kikugorô Second:
Unidentified actor as Fukuoka Mitsugi (福岡貢) subduing a foe Third:
Sawamura Sojûrô V Hachirobee (八郎兵衛) Fourth:
Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Gengobei (源五兵へ) Fifth:
Sawamura Chojûrô V as
Nagoya Sensaburô (名古屋山三) Play: Godairiki Koi no Fûjime (五大力恋緘) Theater: Date: 1846 or
earlier Publisher: Hon-ya
Genpachi |
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Title: Mitate Kinryûzan kaichô
no zu (見立金龍山開帳の図, Imaginary Scene of the
Display of Secret Image at Kinryûzan Temple) Actors from left: Ichimura
Uzaemon XII and Onoe Baikô IV Ichikawa
Danjûrô VIII and Onoe Kikugorô Matsumoto
Koshirô VI as Hori Fusaji
(ほり房次) and Sawamura Chôjûrô V as Lady Iwafuji (局 岩藤) Ichikawa
Danjûrô VIII as Rai Kunitoshi (来国俊) and Bandô Shûka
I as Ohatsu (おはつ) Nakamura
Utaemon IV as Ishidome Busuke (石留武助)
and Onoe Kikujirô II as Oren (おれん) Play: Hatsu Sakura Onoe
no Iwafuji (初桜尾上岩藤) Date: 3rd
month of 1847 (censors Mera and Murata) Theater: Ichimura Publisher: Iba-ya
Sensaburô |
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Polyptych title: Collection of
Eight Ken Games of the East (Azuma hakken shû, 東八拳集) Description: Ôban polyptych of actors playing ken
1.
Sawamura Sôjûrô V Date: 7th
month of 1852 Publisher: Mita-ya
Kihachi (left two sheets) and Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei (right two sheets) |
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I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate
state of the above design with the actor’s names. |
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Title on left: Beauties Enjoying Themselves in the Garden (美人庭遊びBijin niwa asobi) Title on right: Boating in
the Chinese Style (准漢舩遊び, Jukan Funa Asobi) Description: Prince Genji?
watching from a balcony as two ladies are being rowed in a fantastic, ornate
dragon boat by young girls in Chinese costumes Date: 1849-1852
(censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: Sumiyoshi-ya Masagorô (a later state bears the seal of
the publisher Wakasa-ya Yoichi) |
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Description: Boys parading
on the shore at sunset Date: c. 1840 Publisher: Izumi-ya
Ichibei |
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Title: Evening
Cooling with Flowers, Current Checkered Patterns (Tôji ichimatsu hana
no yosuzumi, 當時一松花の夜涼) Description: Women in
checkered robes, standing before oversized flowers. From left to right, the flowers are lilies,
morning glories, peonies, unidentified, and hydrangeas. Date: c. 1848 Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei NOTE: These prints
are listed as series number 112 in Kuniyoshi
by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). However, the continuous nature of the
background suggests that these sheets were intended to be placed side-by-side
to form a polyptych. I am grateful to
Robert Pryor for this image. |
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Another state of the above prints published by Ki-ya Sôjirô |
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Title: Illustration
of the Second Floor of the Kadoebiya Pleasure House in Shin-Yoshiwara (Shinyoshiwara
Kyômachi itchôme Kadoebiya hore nikai) Date: c. 1840 Publisher: No seal NOTE:
This pentaptych was published privately on behalf
of Kadoebiya about 1840. It was not intended for selling, but was a
present to customers of the brothel after a fire. The cartouche in the right lower corner,
which is partially cut off in this example, reads “forbidden to buy or to
sell”. |
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I am grateful to Robert Pryor for these three
sheets from a different state of the above pentaptych without numbers in the
right lower corner of each panel. |
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Description: Bijin dressed as otokodate with stylized cloud
bands Date: 1846-1852 Publisher: Kame-ya
Iwakichi |
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Beauties from
left: First: Matsu Kicho of the Nomatsuya in Second: Toyoka of the Okamotoya with her kamuro Kiyono and Hanano Third: Tamashô (玉菖) of the Yatama (弥玉) with her kamuro Hazsune
and Iroka Fourth: Usugumo (薄雲) of the Tama-ya Fifth: Hanao of the Ôgi-ya Date: c. 1838 Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei |
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I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this full
color state of a sheet from the preceding polyptych. |
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Titles: Left two sheets: A Female Version of Maizuru (Onna Maizuru, 女まい鶴) Right three sheets: A Soga Brothers Confrontation Scene Enacted
by Women Amateurs at New Year (Hatsu chaban onna taimen, 初茶番女対面) Date: 1848-1849 Publisher: Fujioka-ya
Keijirô NOTE: The three sheets
on the right have seals of censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura, dating them to
1846-1848. The two left hand sheets
have seals of censors Kinugasa and Yoshimura, dating them to 1849. Most likely, the three right sheets were
conceived as a triptych that was later expanded to five sheets. |
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