Polyptychs of actors of four or more sheets

Part II

 

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).

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

Actors from left: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Tanzen (丹前) and the Heron Maiden (鷺娘)

Nakamura Utaemon IV as Sukeroku (助六) and his wife (旁妻)

Nakamura Utaemon IV as a boatman (船乗) and the Celestial Maiden (天女)

Nakamura Utaemon IV as Ameuri no Sekishô (飴売の夕照) and in an unidentified role

PlayHanagoyomi iro no showake (花翫暦色所八景)

Theater: Nakamura

Date: 3rd month of 1839

PublisherJôshû-ya Kinzô

 

I am grateful to Lucienne Parkan for this image.

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for these sheets from other states.

Title: Songs for Spring Worth One Thousand Gold Coins (Shun eiatai 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.

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

TitleMitate 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 III

Matsumoto Koshirô VI as Hori Fusaji (ほり房次) and Sawamura Chôjûrô V as Lady Iwafuji ( 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

Title: New Year’s First Dream of Soga Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin Soga no hatsuyume七福神曽我之初夢)

Description: Characters from The Tale of the Soga Brothers in the guise of the seven lucky gods

Date: Early 1847 (censors Mera and Murata)

Publisher: Minato-ya Kohei

Actors from left: Sawamura Sôjûrô V, Ichimura Uzaemon XII, Ichikawa Kuzô II, Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII, and Nakamura Kanemon IV

Date: 1847-1850

Publisher: Fujioka-ya Hikotarô

Title: Pictures of the Evening Cool at Ryogôku (両國夕涼之圖)

Description: Actors off stage with fireworks near the Ryôgoku Bridge

Date: 1849

Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya Shôzô (川口屋正蔵)

This polyptych, from 1850-1853, is composed of key block prints of actors off-stage.  A key block print is an impression pulled from the first woodblock made by a carver from the artist’s original drawing.  The artist would write instructions for each color on a separate key block print, and the woodblock for each color was cut using one of these as a guide.  In addition to being a guide for carving the color woodblocks, the key block was also used to apply black ink (usually) in the printing process.

Title: New Year’s First Dream of Soga Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin Soga no hatsuyume, 七福神曽我之初夢)

Description: Characters from The Tale of the Soga Brothers in the guise of the seven lucky gods

Date: Early 1847 (censors Mera and Murata)

Publisher: Minato-ya Kohei

TitleTeijo 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 III as Tobino Sashichi (鳶ノ佐七)

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

PlayGodairiki Koi no Fûjime (五大力恋緘)

Theater:

Date: 1846 or earlier

Publisher: Hon-ya Genpachi

Actors from left: Sawamura Sôjûrô V, Ichimura Uzaemon XII, Ichikawa Kuzô II, Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII, and Nakamura Kanemon IV

Date: 1847-1850

Publisher: Fujioka-ya Hikotarô

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 (); inset is Arashi Kishisaburô III as Ono Sadakuro (斧定九郎)

Fifth: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Fue (); inset is Ichikawa Kuzô II as Takano Moronao (高の師直)

PlayJidai Sewa Hina no Danmaku (古今ひなの段幕)

Date: 2nd month of 1851 (censors Hama and Magome) 

Theater: Ichimura

PublisherTe (phonetic reading of )

 

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

Another state of the above polyptych 

 

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

PublisherEbi-ya Rinnosuke (海老屋林之助)

Actors: A single sheet from another state of the above polyptych showing Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII

Date: 6th month of 1852

Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke

Polyptych title: Collection of Eight Ken Games of the East (Azuma hakken shû東八拳集)

DescriptionÔban polyptych of actors playing ken

1. Sawamura Sôjûrô V
2. Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII
3. Ichikawa Hirogorô
4. Onoe Baikô IV
5. Bandô Takesaburô V
6. Onoe Kikujirô II
7. Arashi Otokichi
8. Iwai Kumesaburô III
9. Seki Sanjûrô III
10. Arashi Kichisaburô III
11. Ôtani Tomoemon IV
12. Bandô Shûka
13. Arashi Rikan III
14. Nakamura Tsuruzô
15. Nakayama Bungorô II
16. Ichikawa Kodanji IV

Date: 7th month of 1852

Publisher: Mita-ya Kihachi (left two sheets) and Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei (right two sheets)

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate state of the above design with the actor’s names.

Sheet from another state of the above polyptych

 

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