Show Us Your print

[nektoalex]

Hello everyone. Following the example of other topics from tosogu and military swords, I think everyone will be interested in the topic of Japanese engravings. Getting started  

           Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) Gentoku, from the series Heroes of the Popular History of the Three Kingdoms , Zhao Yong saves A Tou, son of Gentoku, in the battle of Chan Fan Kao in 208 A.D.

[Guido]

Sangokushi, the Tale of the Three Kingdoms - a famous Chinese story.

[Bugyotsuji]

That's a good start.     Lots of information in that print.

[nektoalex]

Utagawa Kuniyoshi,Ou Pen, 48 out of 108 Lanshan heroes. The engraving is most likely depicted during the capture of Qingzhou during the assassination of Zhao Neng

[Bugyotsuji]

Amazing picture, and Zhao Neng(?) is wearing some kind of Netsuke...or Chinese toggle? The sword looks Meiji even!

[Guest]

The series Alexandr shows is popularly known as Suikoden, published from 1827- 1830, and was for Kuniyoshi the forging of his reputation.

 

Popular demand was so great that he revisited the series a number of times (Sometimes in name only, using heroes from Japanese folklore as subject matter).

 

Fans of 1970's TV mini series from Japan may remember the story recounted as "The Water Margin".

 

Here are most of the Prints known in the series (Alexandr's print is halfway down Part II):

 

http://www.kuniyoshiproject.com/The%20108%20Heroes%20of%20the%20Popular%20Suikoden,%20Part%20I.htm

 

http://www.kuniyoshiproject.com/The%20108%20Heroes%20of%20the%20Popular%20Suikoden,%20Part%20II.htm

 

 

While we're at it, here's the master returning to the Suikoden again:

 

http://www.kuniyoshiproject.com/108%20Heroes%20of%20the%20Suikoden,%20One%20by%20One.htm

 

 

And then later in the twighlight of his career, he returned to the original Chinese subject matter:

 

http://www.kuniyoshiproject.com/108%20Heroes%20of%20the%20Popular%20Suikoden%20(chuban,%20S47),%20Part%20I.htm

 

http://www.kuniyoshiproject.com/108%20Heroes%20of%20the%20Popular%20Suikoden%20(chuban,%20S47),%20Part%20II.htm

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVVRMBWGBqw

 

Featuring the voiceover by Kato...... Burt Kwouk, Inspector Clouseau's Nemesis; (Not Kato of Green Hornet fame, but that's another story..........of another little Dragon).

[Stephen]

My only other true print.

[Guest]

Hi Stephen,

 

Hiroshige, "Inokashira ni Ike Benzaiten no Yashiro no Kei"  Benten Shrine, Inokashira Pond in a snowstorm.

 

From the series "Famous places, Snow, Moon and Flowers" (Originally printed in 1844/45).

 

Can you please photograph the circular seal on the left lower left corner and the square seal below the signature.

 

Need them really crisp.

 

 This is an example of his signature (Hiroshige ga) in the 1840's

[nektoalex]

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, a series of 108 heroes Suikoden, Xu Ki, nicknamed "Earth Beast or Earth Crocodile", seal 1827-1830.

[Guest]

Well done on the date Alexandr.

 

If you look at the small boxed cartouche at the bottom left:

 

 

This is the seal for the publishers Kaga - Ya Kichiemon, several states were published, as it was a very popular series.

 

The circular seal to the right of it says "Kiwame" (Approved) used from 1790 to 1841 in various single or multiple combinations

 

 

There was another printing in the years 1842 - 1846, but this was published by Iba - Ya Sensaburou.

 

This is his seal:

 

 

Keep them coming!!!!

 

 

A word of thanks to Andreas Marks for his seminal study of Japanese Publishers:

 

http://www.printsofjapan.com/Publishers.htm

[nektoalex]

Thank you Malcolm, an informative site!

[Guest]

Andreas deserves a greater deal of recognition for his work.

 

[Stephen]

Sorry just read this family about to leave.

Here ya go Malcolm

[SteveM]

One of mine. Eisen Bijin from unknown series. Very similar to his Tosei Matsu-no-ha series, but I can't crack it.

渓斎英泉　美人姿　今世友 something.

 

[Ken-Hawaii]

Great prints! Keep 'em coming.

[Bugyotsuji]

The depth of colour in your Eisen print is impressive, Steve. 

[SteveM]

Thank you Piers, but I had some help from the photo editor... Its actually more washed out than that. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Ah, Steve, been there, done that! Can't really be helped at that age, though. 

[Guest]

Good morning SteveM, 

 

If it helps, the publisher on your Eisen looks to be Echizen - Ya Kihei

(Seal name - Etsukichi 越吉)

 

 

 

There is another series with similar (Hogo -  Zome) background from the 1820's:

 

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/209894/the-song-evening-mist-at-asama-peak-yukasumi-asamagatake;jsessionid=D3277199148E524CD072784E090F2957?ctx=c91e3801-8505-4b2d-af0b-a11d187c1ea0&idx=0

 

Oops, that's the Tosei Matsu no Ha series you mentioned!!!!

 

 

[Bernard]

Yoshitsune (bottom center) recovering his bow from the sea at the Battle of Yashima

http://www.kuniyoshiproject.com/Warrior%20triptychs%201849-1852,%20Part%20I%20(T214-T233).htm (T221)

 

Bernard D

[Guest]

Good morning Stephen,

 

Thank you for your closeup images of the Hiroshige print.

 

The closest I can come to the cartouche under his signature is:

 

Hiroshige gwa.
Seal, Ichiryusai

 

(https://www.hiroshige.org.uk/Strange/Strange_Appendix_sig_hiroshige.htm)

 

Now to the circular seal in the left hand corner, at first, I thought it was one of the Nanushi censors seals, but yours is set within two concentric circles.

 

The aratame seem to be exclusively a single circle:

 

(http://mercury.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/prints/sealdate.html)

 

http://mercury.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/prints/nanushi.html#top

 

I'm stumped for the moment.

 

[Bernard]

Utagawa TOYOHARU 歌川豊春: Naka-no-chô in the New Yoshiwara (Shin Yoshiwara Naka-no-chô no zu 和国景跡新吉原中ノ町之図, from the series "Perspective Pictures of Japanese scenes" (Uki-e wakoku keiseki),1770.

 

The print shows a crowd on the Nakanocho Boulevard at night, near the gate to the Shin-Yoshiwara pleasure district of Tokyo, possibly during the lantern festival, with tea houses and shops lining the street.

 

Utagawa TOYOHARU (1735-1814), founder of the Utagawa school, was known for using one-point perspective (Uki-e). He is credited to be the first Japanese artist to master this device to depict outdoor scenes in Ukiyo-e prints and paintings.

 

On the Net, I found two specimens of this print, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and in the Honolulu Museum of Arts. Here is the link to the MFA https://ukiyo-e.org/image/mfa/sc214069

 

Bernard D

 

 

 

 

[hobnails]

Here is two of mine pretty faded by Gosotei Toyokuni 2 adopted son and pupil of Utagawa Toyokuni I think

don't know who the actor and samurai represent as I haven't managed to read the rest

 

Chris H

[SteveM]

↑　The left side is the actor Seki Sanjūrō (関三十郎) portraying Hōgan Morihisa (判官盛久)

The right side is actor Ogami Kikugorō (尾上菊五郎) but I don't know who he is portraying - maybe Minamoto no-Yoshihira?.

This may be from the kabuki play Ise Heiji Rishō-no-kaomise.

[hobnails]

Thanks, Steve was struggling with the rest of the kanji.  

[nektoalex]

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 

Tametomo homare no jikketsu 為朝譽十傑 (Ten Famous Excellences of Tametomo)

Woodblock print, oban tate-e. Minamoto no Tametomo on a beach with a caged crane on his back, which guided him through the Ryukyu Islands.

1848-1851

 

[Guest]

Thank you for posting the print Alexandr.

 

The printer's seal on your print looks to be that of Arita - Ya - Seiemon, used between 1844 - 61.

 

 

They are known to have used at least three styles of seal during the period 1834 - 1862.

 

If you check out the series on the Kuniyoshi Project site, you will see the different examples:

 

http://www.kuniyoshiproject.com/Ten%20Famous%20Excellencies%20of%20Tametomo.htm

 

(Again thanks to Andreas Marks' database)

 

http://www.printsofjapan.com/Publishers_A_thru_Ebiya.htm

 

The seal is also found on Hiroshige prints as late as 1854.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

I have Robinson T161 warrior tryptich pt II in the Kuniyoshi project, Malcolm, the same two scenes, identical I think. (Their photo of it though is not very good.)

[Guest]

Hi Piers,

 

A blast from the past - http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/10046-edo-period-corner-part-ii/page-11

 

Congratulations again on owning T161, as the foundation of the Kuniyoshi project lies in contributions of images from institutions and collectors worldwide, perhaps email them, I trust they would be excited to get clearer images.

 

Remember, although it was part of a triptych, it was also designed as an Hexaptych, a 6 sheet wide display of the Kawanakajima Battlefield, set with T162:

 

If we count them from the right, you have 1 & 2, 3 is not found, but 4,5 & 6 are known.

 

3 is out there somewhere, hopefully, just waiting to be discovered.

 

I remember visiting "Robbie" (B.W. Robinson) a number of times, during School exeats, and later, trips to London for training in Karate- Do & Aiki - Do with Harada Sensei & Chiba Sensei (c.1968/71).

 

That was back when the late Michael Dean had his fledgling Japanese Sword shop, Nihon Token, in the now developed  St Giles Court area, near what is now Center Point,  before the move to Museum Street.

 

Robbie,  though I always called him Mr Robinson, as was right for my "tender" years, was, always unfailingly inspirational, and keen to show the many treasures that the V&A Japanese department held.

 

True scholar, true gentleman, to coin a phrase, oft wasted upon lesser folk, for equally trivial reasons.

 

A different world.

 

[Bernard]

THE CAPTURE OF KIRA (from the tale of the 47 Ronin)

 

The print on the left is by Katsukawa Shunsho, the print on the right by Kitagawa Hidemaro.

 

Bernard D