Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) (1797–1861)
Signature: Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi ga (一勇斎 國芳 画) in a red double gourd cartouche with kiri seal
Publisher: Ibaya Kyūbei [伊場屋久兵衛] (enterprise, op. c. 1804-69); seal: hanmoto, Kyū (板元, 久)
Censors: Mera & Murata, 2/1847 – 11/1850; Kōka 4 (弘化四年) – Kaei 3 (嘉永三年)
Media: Rigid fan print (Aiban Yoko-e Uchiwa-e, 合判横絵 団扇絵), 237 x 303 mm
Series: Aisho kagami [逢性鏡] — translated as Perfect Matches or Mirror of Compatibility or Meeting in a Looking Glass (Kuniyoshi Project)
A bijin (beautiful woman) is shown in half-length, turned three-quarter to the left, shielding her forehead with her right hand while her left rests on her knee. She wears an over-robe with vertical stripes in shades of blue and grey, trimmed with a purple collar, and a red under-kimono featuring a saya-gata (紗綾形) lattice and floral design on the collar. Her voluminous shimada hairstyle is tied with a red ribbon and adorned with two long ornamental hairpins (kanzashi). She smiles while reading a letter that lies open in her lap. The background is filled with stylized swirling waves and white koi fish (carp).
In the upper left, a circular inset resembling a mirror or medallion shows a kabuki actor (likely Sawamura Sōjūrō V) wearing a white cloth headdress and a purple robe decorated with a 井 (i) crest—representing a 'well frame' (i-zutsu or i-geta) on the shoulders. He is identified as Gonpachi (権八). The mirrored format reflects the series theme: imagined romantic compatibility between Edo beauties and kabuki actors. A red cartouche on the right reads: 逢性鏡 (Aishō kagami) – Mirror of Compatibility.
Provenance: Nelkin Collection
Reference: [LIB-3428.2025] Christie’s, New York: Japanese Prints, Paintings, and Screens, Monday, 24 November 1997 / Sales Catalogue; p. 64, lot. 135.
...Aishō kagami “Mirror of compatibility”, a beauty against a stylized wave-and-fish-patterned background reading a letter, below a round mirror cartouche enclosing a bust portrait of Shirai Gonpachi, signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga and published by Ibaya Kyūbei...
Additional Information
| Collection | Fan print (Uchiwa-e) [団扇絵] , Japanese prints and drawings |
|---|---|
| Type / Purpose | Fan , Woodblock print |
| Period | 19 AD , Edo period [江戸時代] (1603–1868) , Mid-19th century |
| Country | Japan |
| Media/Technique | Ink and color on paper , Woodblock print (nishiki-e) |
| Size | Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e , Fan print. Uchiwa-e |
| Subject | 19th century , Beautiful woman (bijin-ga) , Fan , Fan print , Japan , Japanese art , Japanese woodblock prints , Kabuki , Kabuki actor , Kabuki actors , Uchiwa-e |
| Series | Aisho kagami [逢性鏡] |
| Creation / Publishing year | 1847 , 1848 , 1849 , 1850 |
| Genre | Actor Prints (Yakusha-e, 役者絵) |
| Acquisition year | 2025 |
