Posted by Paul Griffith on July 07, 1999 at 04:39:52:
In Reply to: Re: Another Partial Triptych posted by George Aar on July 07, 1999 at 00:49:46:
Hi George again,
I wouldn't have said that the style was different from Kunisada's usual, though I suppose we're more accustomed to seeing prints of larger-scale figures. As for whether it's a triptych or diptych, I'm really not sure and it's difficult to see from photos, but I think the "deck" is simply trimmed on the right of the left-hand sheet, or on the left of the right-hand sheet. The structure shown is the Kiyomizu temple itself which is built on large wooden stilts on the side of a hill.
I have been collecting and studying Kabuki prints for decades. I worked at the Victoria & Albert Museum for one year as a "casual curator" and at that time I was helping to catalogue some of their huge collection of Kunisada Kabuki prints. I now live in Tokyo and one of my side jobs is the translation of Kabuki plays and dances from Japanese to English at the Kabuki-za and the National Theatre. This is for the earphone guide service. I have also produced full translations for a four volume set of Kabuki plays due to be published by Hawaii University Press early next year. (Many others are also involved.) So, I suppose you could say that I was Kabuki-obsessed. I used to collect other subjects within ukiyo-e but now I restrict myself.
: :Hi Paul,
: Thanks again for another great response. I should pay you for the research, but I've spent all my money on these dam prints. If I may pry, how is it that you know so much about Kabuki theatre?
: As for the print, is it just my imagination, or is the style of it markedly different from other Kunisada prints of the era? The facial features are so much more expressive and varied from the usual Kunisada actor print. That's what attracted me to the print, anyway. Also, I'm still of the mind that it is a triptych with the center panel missing. There are branches of trees that go off the print to nowhere and the deck, although it appears in both panels, does not connect or line up. It just seems like there should be a panel with a large portion of deck and maybe temple to fill in between the two pieces of deck and finish off the left side of the staircase. But if all the characters are present and accounted for, who would be pictured in the panel? I don't know. Is your thought that they may be just two seperate prints of the same play?
: Regards,
: George
: Hi George,
: : I'm not sure if this actually is a triptych or a diptych. I would normally have said it was the former, but in this case, all the major characters and actors in the play appear on these two sheets. It is certainly trimmed, however.
: : Anyway, the work can be dated around the third month of Tenpo 3, (1834). The play depicted is "Sumidagawa Hana no Goshozome" by Tsuruya Nanboku IV, which was revived at the Ichimura-za from the 12th day of that month.The scene is the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto.
: : The top of the left-hand sheet shows (from left) the actor Otani Sorobei as a lady-in-waiting, Nakamura Tomitaki as the court lady Onoe, Ichikawa Ebizo V as the evil court lady Iwafuji standing in the centre, Ichikawa Masuzo as the lady-in-waiting Yonegawa, and behind her, Onoe Umegoro as the lady-in-waiting Nishikawa.
: : The bottom of the left-hand sheet shows Onoe's loyal maidservant Ohatsu in the centre, played by Iwai Kumesaburo II, and, to the right of her, the young medicine pedlar ("Uirouri") played by Ichikawa Danjuro VII.
: : The top of the right-hand sheet shows Bando Mokuzo as a foot soldier (yakko), crouching next to Ichimura Uzaemon as Hojo Koshiro Yoshitoki (?).
: : The middle of the right-hand sheet shows Iwai Hanshiro V as Onna Seigen, a nun.
: : The bottom of the right-hand sheet shows Ichikawa Dankuro as the yakko Todahei, and next to him is Ichikawa Ebijuro as Shimizu Heimanosuke Kiyoharu (?).
: : A fascinating print of an extremely famous play!
: :
: : : I have another print by Kunisada which I believe is the left and right panels of a triptych (I'm really starting to get an attitude about people who break up prints and ehon). This is signed "Kochoro Kunisada Ga" and has a kiwame seal and was published by Tsuruya Kihei-Kiemon. I've read that Kunisada's earliest prints were signed Utagawa and later Gototei and still later he stated using the go of Kochoro. But the style of this print strikes me as being very early, say pre-1820. Can anyone help me date this and possibly identify the play and actors? Unfortunately I think the title has been partially trimmed off, maybe there's enough to go on? If you have trouble seeing the images I can email them to you as an attachment if you'd like. I can be reached at geoaar@premier1.net Thank you! http://members.xoom.com/zackman123/Kuni%201.jpg http://members.xoom.com/zackman123/Kuni%202.jpg http://members.xoom.com/zackman123/Kuni%203.jpg http://members.xoom.com/zackman123/Kuni%204.jpg http://members.xoom.com/zackman123/Kuni%205.jpg http://members.xoom.com/zackman123/Kuni%206.jpg