Polyptychs of four or more sheets
Part I
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: Tosenn sono Fuji bitai (とうせん其の富士びたい) Actors from left: First: Second: Third: Fourth: Bandô Shûka I in a
female role holding an open fan Fifth: Sawamura Sôjûrô V holding a closed fan Play: Theater: 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 Sawamura Sôjûrô V Play: Theater: Date: 6th
month of 1852 Publisher:
Ebi-ya Rinnosuke |
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Title on each sheet: Eight Views of Edo (Azuma hakkei uchi, 東八景内) Actors from left: First: Nakamura Utaemon IV
as a toshima (mature woman, 旁妻) Text: Evening bell on the Sumida river (Sumida bansho, 隅田晩鐘) Second: Nakamura Utaemon IV
as Tanzen (丹前) Text: 深川朧月 Third: Nakamura Utaemon IV
as the boatman (船頭) Text: 高輪帰帆 Fourth: Nakamura Utaemon IV
as the Dragon Princess (天女) Text: Falling geese at Shinobu no oka (Shinobu no oka rakugan, 忍岡落雁) Play: Hanagoyomi iro no showake (花翫暦色所八景) Theater:
Nakamura Date: 3rd
month of 1839 Publisher:
Izumi-ya Ichibei |
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Actors from left: First: Onoe Matsusuke Second: Ichikawa Ebizô V as Dozaemon Denkichi (土左衛門伝吉) Third: Onoe Kikugorô 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:
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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 Fifth: Onoe Kikugorô Play: Theater: Date: 1835 Publisher:
NOTE: In
this polyptych and in the two following, the background is printed entirely
in Prussian blue, a style known as aizuri-e |
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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 Fifth: Onoe Kikugorô Play: Theater: Date: 1835 Publisher:
NOTE: This
is another state of the preceding pentaptych |
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Actors from left: First: Second: Bandô Mitsugorô Play: Theater: Date: 1832 Publisher:
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Five actors as musicians
with insets showing their roles in the play Kanadehon Chûshingura Actors from left: First: Bandô Shûka I with
large drum (taiko, 太鼓); inset is Ichimura Takenojô V as Ôboshi Yuranosuke
(大星由良之助) Second: Arashi Kishisaburô
with large hand drum (dai tsuzumi, 大鼓); inset is Bandô Shûka I as koshimoto Okaru (こし元於かる) Third: Ichikawa Kuzô II
with small hand drum (shô tsuzumi, 小鼓); inset is Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Hayano Kanpei (早野勘平) Fourth: Ichimura Takenojô V
chanting (yô, 謡); inset is Arashi Kishisaburô Fifth: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII with bamboo flute (fue, 笛); inset is Ichikawa Kuzô II as Takano Moronao (高の師直) Play: Kanadehon Chûshingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵) Date: 2nd
month of 1851 (censors Hama and Magome) Theater:
Ichimura Publisher:
Te |
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Actors from left: First: Nakamura Kanjaku II
(died 1842) Second: Ichimura Kakitsu Third: Fourth: Iwai Shijaku I Play: Theater: Date: Publisher:
Izumi-ya Ichibei |
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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(?)見立 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: Not
later than 1842 Publisher:
Sôshû-ya Yohei |
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This altered version of the
above design was published between 1846 and 1852 |
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Title:
None Actors from left: Ichikawa Ebizô V as
Kaminari no Onaka (雷庄のおなか) Onoe Baikô Iwai Tojaku I as Hotei no
Oichi Play: A mitate (roles not actually performed
on stage) Date:
1832-1846 Publisher:
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 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 Matsumoto Koshirô VI as ほり房次 and Sawamura Chôjûrô V as Lady Iwafuji (局 岩藤) Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as 来国俊 and Bandô Shûka I as Ohatsu (おはつ) Nakamura Utaemon IV as 石☆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 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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Title:
Parodies on the Five Elements (Mitate
gogyô) Description:
Prince Genji watching beauties in a boat Date: 1848 Publisher: |
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Description:
Boys parading on the shore at sunset Date: c.
1840 Publisher:
Izumi-ya Ichibei |
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Title:
Modern Checkered Materials for Night Cooling among the Flowers (Tôji ichimatsu hana no yo-suzumi, 當時一松花の夜涼) Description:
Women in checkered robes, each standing before an oversized flower Date: c.
1848 Publisher:
Ki-ya Sôjirô 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. |
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Another state of the above
prints published by Iba-ya Kyûbei |
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Title:
Illustration of the Second Floor from the Kadoebiya Pleasure House in
Shin-Yoshiwara Date: c.
1840-1850 Publisher:
No seal |
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Description:
Bijin dressed as otokodate, separated by stylized cloud
bands Date:
1846-1852 Publisher:
Kame-ya Iwakichi |
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Beauties from left: First: Matsu__ of the
Nomatsuya in Second: Toyoka of the
Okamotoya with her kamuro Kiyono
and Hanano Third: Tamasho of the
Yatama with her kamuro Hazsune and
Iroka Fourth: Usugumo (薄雲) of the Tama-ya Fifth: Hanao of the Ôgi-ya Date: 1846
or earlier Publisher:
Sano-ya Kihei |
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Description:
Unidentified actors Date:
1846-1849 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. |
