Polyptychs of women of
four or more sheets
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Series: A Series of Five on
Shellfish Gathering (Shiohi goban uchi, 汐干五番内) Size: Shikishiban (about 8 by 7 inches or 21 by 18
centimeters) Date: c. 1830 NOTE: These prints are listed in Heroes and Ghosts:
Japanese Prints by Kuniyoshi by Robert Schaap (Hotei Publishing, Leiden,
1998) as series 2.a.4.
I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image. |
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Actors from
left:
Sawamura Tôzô III (澤村東蔵) Yamashita Kinsaku IV (山下金作) Ichikawa Sannojô I (市川 三之丞) and Nakamura Kotoji (中村琴糸) Sawamura Kikuzô (沢村紀久蔵) and Onoe Eizaburô III (尾上栄三郎) Iwai Haruji (岩井春治) and Iwai Hanshirô VI (岩井半四郎) Play: Kanadehon Chûshingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵) Date: 3rd month of 1833 Theater: Kawarasaki Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tobei NOTE: The Tsubouchi
Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University attributes this polyptych to the
1833 performance of Kanadehon Chûshingura (accessions 005-0141 and 005-0142). |
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The two
sheets on the right are from different states of the above polyptych. The sheet on the left has a slightly
different layout and is published by Kawaguchi-ya Shôzô. It shows Onoe Eizaburô III (尾上栄三郎) and Segawa Kikusaburô III (瀬川菊三郎).
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Title: Matsuchiyama in the Eastern Capital (Tôto
Matsuchiyama no zu, 東都真乳山の図) Description: Beautiful
women with mountains in the background Date: c. 1834 Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya Chôzô NOTE: These prints
are aizuri-e.
The prints below are from a different state of the polyptych which
must have consisted of at least 5 sheets.
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Three
sheets from another state without a blue sky |
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Title: Series of
Beauties (Bijin sorôi,
美人そろうい) Date: c. 1834 Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya Chôzô NOTE: These prints
are aizuri-e.
The prints below are from a different state of the polyptych which
must have consisted of at least 4 sheets.
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Two
sheets from another state with less text |
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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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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: 1847-1850
(censors Mera and Murata) Publisher: Kame-ya Iwakichi |
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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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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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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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This polyptych depicts male kabuki
actors in female roles. Actors from left: Sawamura Tôzô III
(澤村東蔵)
Yamashita Kinsaku IV (山下金作) Ichikawa Sannojô I
(市川 三之丞)
and Nakamura Kotoji (中村琴糸) Sawamura Kikuzô (沢村紀久蔵)
and Onoe Eizaburô III (尾上栄三郎) Iwai Haruji (岩井春治)
and Iwai Hanshirô VI (岩井半四郎) Play: Kanadehon
Chûshingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵) Date: 3rd month
of 1833 Theater: Kawarasaki Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tobei NOTE: The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda
University attributes this polyptych to the 1833 performance of Kanadehon
Chûshingura (accessions 005-0141 and 005-0142). |
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The two sheets on the right are from different
states of the above polyptych. The sheet on the left has a
slightly different layout and is published by Kawaguchi-ya
Shôzô. It shows Onoe Eizaburô
III (尾上栄三郎)
and Segawa Kikusaburô III (瀬川菊三郎) |
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This polyptych depicts male kabuki actors
in female roles. Title:
None Actors from left: Ichikawa Ebizô V as Kaminari no Onaka (雷庄のおなか) Iwai Shijaku I
in an unidentified role Onoe Baikô
III as Gokuin no Osen (極印のおせん) Iwai Tojaku I as Hotei no Oichi (布袋ノお市) Play:
A mitate (roles not actually performed on stage) Date:
c. 1833-1835 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 and Michel Ouellet for these
images. |
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