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Katsukawa Shun'ei. The Sumo Bout between Yotsuguruma (right) and Yamaoroshi (left). Date: 1800 or 1805/06. Similar sheet can be found at Edo Tokyo Museum. Size: Vertical Ōban. Sumo wrestler Yotsuguruma Daihachi (1772 - 1809) first appeared in the records of national tournaments in winter of 1794. Then he lost 3 matches and won zero. He first won in the spring tournament of 1797 in a match against maegashira (the fifth-highest rank of sumo wrestlers) named Kougamine. Yamaoroshi Gengo (born 1762) came in at the winter tournament of 1799 . He was much more successful in his career than Yotsuguruma, but he had never won a tournament. It was the time of great Raiden, who won most of them. In the spring tournament of 1800 Yotsuguruma and Yamaoroshi fought against each other for the first time. Yotsuguruma lost. The next time they met on the ring was at the winter tournament of 1805, and again in 1806. Both matches were won by Yamaoroshi. Yamaoroshi retired in 1809; Yotsuguruma died in 1809. -
A three-volume unique copy of Louÿs’s poetical work ‘Pybrac’; edition published in 1928 by Marcel Vertès limited to 30 copies; contains 31 drypoints by Marcel Vertès, incl. frontispiece, nine full-page plates and twenty in-text vignettes; enriched with a volume of three suites of plates (first state b/w on Van Gelder paper, final state b/w on Japon nacré paper, final state hand-coloured on Van Gelder paper) plus 5 refused plates; and with a volume of one original watercolour, five ink drawings, three suites of plates (first state b/w on Van Gelder paper, final state b/w on Japon nacré paper, final state hand-coloured on Van Gelder paper) plus similar 5 refused plates, one b/w plate and one coloured plate, and a drypoint metal plate; two volumes of three are in a slipcase. Same edition in this collection: LIB-2919.2022. Details: (1) The ‘Texte’ volume, collated in-4to, 26 x 20.5 cm bound by Creuzevault (signed inside the front cover, in the bottom) in full tan morocco, blind fillets and a brown strip in the bottom to boards, double gilt fillet and a brown label along the spine, gilt-lettered vertically “PYBRAC | TEXTE”; gilt on black faux marbled endpapers, printed on watermarked Van Gelder Zonen laid paper; collated as follows: [3] blank flyleaves, [1] wrapper ‘PYBRAC’, [5] leaves with pasted original ink drawings on white paper, [1] leaf with pasted original hand-coloured ink drawings on blue paper, [1] drypoint frontispiece, [2] blank leaves, [1] half-title/limitation, [1] t.p., [2] blank leaves, 1-104 (pp. 1-78 [2]), [4] blank leaves plus nine full-page drypoint plates; total 70 leaves. Title-page: PYBRAC | ILLUSTRE DE TRENTE POINT SÈCHES | D’UN | ARTISTE INCONNU | PARIS | AUX DÉPENS D’UN AMATEUR | — | M. CM. XXVIII || Limitation: Edition limited to 30 copies; 1 copy unique on Japon Nacré with 30 original sketches, one suite in colour, two suites in black and 5 cancelled plates; 29 copies on Hollande Van Gelder, with one original watercolour, four original sketches, one suite in colour, two suites in black and 5 cancelled plates. This is copy № 12. (2) The ‘Suites’ volume, 26 x 20.5 cm, uniformly bound in quarter tan morocco over faux marbled paper, blind fillets, horizontal brown strip in the bottom, a vertical brown strip along the border, double gilt fillet and a brown label along the spine, gilt-lettered vertically “PYBRAC | SUITES”; gilt on black faux marbled endpapers; collated as follows: [3] blank flyleaves, three suites of prints: first state on Van Gelder paper, the final state on ‘Japon nacré’ paper, and hand-coloured final state on Van Gelder (31 x 3 = 93 leaves) plus [5] refused plates and [3] blank leaves; total 104 leaves. ‘Texte’ and ‘Suites’ volumes are placed in a faux marbled slipcase. (3) The ‘Suites 2’ volume, 26 x 21.5 cm, bound similarly to the ‘Suites’ volume (quarter morocco), gilt-lettered vertically “PYBRAC | SUITES 2” to spine; front cover with a hollow placement with the drypoint metal plate inside (plate #3), [3] blank wove paper leaves, [1] section title (s.t.) ‘AQUARELLE ORIGINALE’, [1] ink and crayon drawing, [1] s.t. ‘CROQUIS ORIGINAUX’, [5] ink drawings, [1] s.t. ‘PREMIER ÉTAT DES PLANCHES’, [31] plates on Van Gelder, [1] s.t. ‘SUITE EN NOIR SUR JAPON NACRÉ’, [31] plates, s.t. ‘SUITE COLORIÉE A LA MAIN’, [31] plates, [1] s.t. ‘PLANCHES REFUSÉS’, [5] plates, [1] coloured plate #13, [1] uncoloured plate #10, [3] wove paper blank leaves; total 118 leaves. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel (1920-70) № 2279 ; Fekete № 216; Nordmann (I) № 235; Vokaer 23. Ref.: honesterotica.com Contributors: Pierre Louÿs (French, 1870 – 1925) – author. Marcel Vertès [Marcell Vértes] (Jewish-Hungarian-French, 1895 – 1961) – artist. Henri Creuzevault (French, 1905 – 1971) – bookbinder. Seller's description: [ENRICHI & HORS-COMMERCE NON JUSTIFIÉ] Pierre LOUŸS - Marcel VERTÈS. Pybrac, illustré de trente pointes sèches d’un artiste inconnu. Paris, aux dépens d’un amateur, 1928. 3 volumes in-4 de 79 pages, 98 et 76 feuillets. Le volume contenant le texte est relié d'un plein chagrin havane à dos lisse, une pièce de titre en long et un filet doré à froid en bas (Creuzevault). Les deux autres volumes sont reliés à l'identiques, demi chagrin havane, dos lisse, pièce de titre en long, filets dorés sur le dos et filet doré à froid sur le bas et le long du mors. Le cuivre est placé dans le plat intérieur du volume 3, les suites dans le 2. Les deux premiers volumes sont rassemblés dans un étui. Illustré de 31 gravures originales dont 11 hors-texte par Marcel Vertès pour l’une des premières publications obscènes de Pierre Louÿs. Tirage à 30 exemplaires. La justification indique : "Il a été tiré de ce livre 30 exemplaires : 1 exemplaire unique sur Japon nacré avec trente croquis originaux, une suite en couleur, deux suites en noir et une épreuve des cinq planches refusées ; 29 exemplaires sur grand papier de Hollande Van Gelder avec une aquarelle originale, quatre croquis originaux, une suite en couleur, deux suites en noir et une épreuve des cinq planches refusées.". Exemplaire n°12 (Volume 1 Texte). Cet exemplaire est composé différemment soit : Volume 1, Texte : La couverture conservée, 5 dessins originaux à l'encre, 1 dessin sur papier bleu à l'estompe de couleur, le texte, les gravures in-texte et hors-texte. — Volume 2, Suites : les 31 planches en 3 états (1 en couleur et 2 en noir) et une épreuve des 5 planches refusées. — Volume 3, Suites 2 : 1 cuivre, 1 aquarelle, 5 dessins originaux à l'encre, 2 suites en noir, 1 suite coloriée à la main, 1 épreuve des 5 planches refusées, 1 dessin refusé à l'encre et à l'aquarelle et 1 dessin refusé à l'encre. Dutel précise : « Elle est ornée de 11 gravures originales hors-texte dont un titre et 20 gravures dans le texte par Marcel Vertès qui fut aussi l’éditeur de cet ouvrage. Il s’agit d’une des plus belles et des plus rares productions bibliophiliques de l’artiste. » Et surtout la plus rare… (Dutel 2279, pas à l’Enfer de la BnF). -
UTAGAWA TOYOKUNI I (1769–1825) Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (Ebizo V) in a shibaraku costume bursting through a paper screen. Surimono. Colour woodblock print: shikishiban, 8⅛ x 7⅛ in. (20.7 x 18.2 cm) Signed: Toyokuni ga Poem signed: Sakuragawa Jihinari Provenance: Sidney C. Ward -
Torii Kiyonaga (鳥居 清長; 1752 – June 28, 1815) Signed: Kiyonaga ga (清長画)References: No references whatsoever, not in Pins.
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Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I [歌川豊国] (1769–1825). Title: 「しなのやおこん 瀬川菊之丞」「帯屋長右衛門 嵐雛助」 Kabuki play: Katsuragawa Renri no Shigarami [桂川連理柵]. According to Waseda University Cultural Resource Database, the play was performed at Ichimura-za (Edo) on the 2nd month of Kansei 12 (year 1800) under the title 楼門五山桐 さんもんごさんのきり. Publisher: Nishimuraya Yohachi [西村屋与八] (Japanese, c. 1751 – 1869)., Play by Suga Sensuke [菅専助] (ca. 1728 – 1791) in two acts. First performed at Kita Horie-za in Osaka in October 1776. Based on a real incident occurring sometime in the Kyōhō era (1716-35), this story was first dramatized in 1761. The first Kabuki drama to stem from this play was in 1777 at Osaka's Araki-za. Obiya Chōemon, a married obi merchant (sitting with abacus) in his forties, meets his neighbour's daughter Ohan (standing behind Obiya), who is young enough to be his daughter, at an inn in Ishibe; the two fall in love and pledged their troth. Ohan becomes pregnant. After a series of misfortunes, the lovers rush to Katsuragawa (Katsura River), where they drown themselves.Segawa Kikunojō III (Japanese, 1751 – 1810); other names: Segawa Senjo, Segawa Rokō III, Segawa Tomisaburō I, Ichiyama Tomisaburō, Ichiyama Shichinosuke. The actor held the name of Segawa Kikunojō III from the 11th lunar month of 1774 to the 7th lunar month of 1801. He surpassed all the actors of his time in both female and male roles, especially in the former, and achieved tremendous public acclaim.
Arashi Hinasuke II [嵐雛助] (Japanese, c. 1774 – 1801); other names: Nakamura Jūzō III, Kanō Hidenosuke I, Arashi Hidenosuke I. The actor held the name of Arashi Hinasuke II from the 1st lunar month of 1794 to the 2nd lunar month of 1801. Hi died in Edo on the 4th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1801. For the same characters illustrated by Utagawa Kuniyoshi see SVJP-0333.2021.
Sources:
- Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre By Samuel L. Leiter. Second edition, 2014.
- Kabuki Encyclopedia. An English-Langauge Adaptation of Kabuki Jiten. Samuel L. Leiter. Greenwood Press, 1979.
- http://www.kabuki21.com/
- Waseda University Cultural Resource Database
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Utagawa Toyokuni I (歌川豐國); 1769 – 24 February 1825. Kabuki actor Onoe Matsusuke I (other stage names: Onoe Shôroku I and Onoe Tokuzô) lived from 1744 (born in Edo, present Tokyo) until the 16th day of the 10th lunar month of 1815 (died in Edo). Here he plays the honourable villain, the powerful minister of state Kudō Saemon Suketsune. Kabuki actor Bandô Hikosaburô III (other stage names: Ichimura Kichigorô I, other names: Hansôan Rakuzen, Bandô Shinsui III, and Rakuzenbô) lived from 1754 (born in Edo, present Tokyo) until 18th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1828. "1813 ~ 1828: Hikosaburô retires and takes the tonsure in a Temple located in Kurodani (Kyôto). He goes back to Edo and lives a hermit life in a small hut called Hansôan and located in Mukôjima." Here he plays Soga no Gorō Tokimune, the younger of two Soga brothers. It was an Edo period custom to produce every New Year's a play in which the Soga brothers figured. The Sogas were actual historical figures who, in 1193, avenged their father's murder by staging a daring night raid on their enemy during a grand hunt. The villain, a powerful minister of state named Kudō Saemon Suketsune, had orchestrated the murder of their father seventeen years earlier. The exact play, theater, and year featured on the print are not currently known. Publisher: AM-23-016 |391q: Nishimuraya Yohachi: Eiju han 1780s-1809 [AM: Andreas Marks. Publishers of Japanese woodblock prints: A compendium. Hotei Publishing, Leiden-Boston, 2011]. References:- Kabuki Plays on Stage: Brilliance and Bravado, 1697-1766 (Kabuki Plays on Stage, Volume 1). Brandon, James R., Leiter, Samuel L. University of Hawai'I Press, Honolulu, 2002.
- Kabuki Encyclopedia. An English-Langauge Adaptation of Kabuki Jiten. Samuel L. Leiter. Greenwood Press, 1979.
- https://www.kabuki21.com/
