//Mid-19th century
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    Utagawa Kunisada II. Hana Chiru Sato (The Village of Falling Flowers), from the series ‘Genji Karuta’ / Fan print, 1867.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada II (歌川国貞) (1823–1880), also known as Kunimasa III (国政三代) or Toyokuni IV (四代歌川豊国)

    Signed: 国貞画 (Kunisada ga) with red toshidama

    Series: Genji Karuta (げんじかるた, Genji cards), in blue cartouche, right

    Title: Hana Chiru Sato (花ちる里, The Village of Falling Flowers – Chapter 11 of The Tale of Genji), in yellow-green cartouche, left

    Publisher: Enshūya Matabei (遠州屋又兵衛); Marks reference 22-009 | 057c; seal To, Hori Ni Enmata (ト堀貳遠又) (active 1845–1860s)

    Block Carver: Matsushima Fusajirō (松島房次郎), seal Matsushima Hori Fusa (松嶋彫房) (Gordon Friese, 2009, № 137)

    Censor Seal: Combined date and kiwame (極) seal; 1867 (Keiō 3, 慶応三年)

    Media: Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e (団扇絵), color woodblock print, 233 × 294 mm

    The composition is inspired by Chapter 11, Hana Chiru Sato (花散里, The Village of Falling Flowers) from The Tale of Genji. The title cartouche (花ちる里, Hanachirusato) confirms this reference. The series title, Genji Karuta (げんじかるた, Genji Cards), refers to a traditional matching game based on Genji Monogatari. Genji Karuta sets were used for literary and poetic matching games, where players paired cards featuring text, poetry, or symbolic motifs from The Tale of Genji. These games were part of aristocratic culture, reinforcing familiarity with the novel and classical poetry. Genji Cards feature Genji-mon (源氏紋), stylized crests representing each chapter of The Tale of Genji, which were historically associated with the incense-matching game Genji-kō (源氏香).

    The elegantly dressed woman, likely the younger sister of Nyōgo Reikeiden (女御麗景殿), holds a blue double-gourd-shaped sake bottle. Her indigo black (藍黒, Aiguro) haori (羽織) is adorned with white wisteria mon and hollyhock leaves and blossoms (葵, Aoi)—the latter motif being closely associated with Chapter 11.

    The man, likely Genji himself, referenced in Chapter 11 as Daishō (大将), wears a red under-kimono with hexagons enclosing blossoms, a blue outer garment with large tsuba motifs, and an obi featuring waves and wheels. He offers the woman a red lacquered sake cup.

    A delicate pink tint between the man’s and woman’s eyes and eyebrows hints at mutual tender emotions.

    The background features a pink fabric design incorporating Genji-mon (源氏紋, stylized crests representing chapters of The Tale of Genji, historically associated with Genji-kō) and asanoha (麻の葉, hemp-leaf motifs), reinforcing the Heian court aesthetic. At the lower right, a black lacquer hexagonal container holds an assortment of unknown items, possibly sweets or ritual objects.

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    Utagawa Kunisada, Utagawa Hiroshige. Muronotsu in Harima Province, from the series ‘A Set of Ports in the Provinces’ / Fan print, 1858.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865) Signature: Toyokuni ga (豊國画) in a red toshidama cartouche Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige [歌川 広重] a.k.a. Andō Hiroshige [安藤 広重] (Japanese, 1797 – 1858). Signature: Hiroshige ga (廣重画) in a red rectangular cartouche Date and Censor Seal: 1858 — Ansei 5 (午, Year of the Horse) plus Approved (kiwame, 極) Publisher: Iseya Sōemon [伊勢屋惣右衛門] (Japanese, 1776 – 1862); seal: hanmoto Ue (板元上) Media: Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e (団扇絵), color woodblock print, 232 x 298 mm Title: Muronotsu in Harima Province (Harima Muronotsu, 播磨室ノ津) Series: A Set of Ports in the Provinces (Shokoku minato tsukushi, 諸国湊尽) A half-length portrait of a woman in a three-quarter view facing right, seated in a boat, gazing toward the Muronotsu harbour. She extends her right hand as if pointing toward the merchant ships anchored near the shore. Her black hair is arranged in an elaborate updo, adorned with gilt hairpins (簪 kanzashi) and a decorative comb. She wears a multi-layered kimono featuring a purple outer robe with delicate butterfly and floral embroidery, a blue-patterned collar, and a red underlayer with a geometric motif. The background landscape, designed by Hiroshige, depicts Muronotsu in Harima Province, an important Edo-period port along the Inland Sea. Several merchant ships with masts loaded with goods are docked near the tree-covered coastline while a smaller sailing vessel moves across the bay. The sky transitions into a soft pink and purple gradient, suggesting sunrise or sunset.
    In Kunisada: Imaging, Drama and Beauty by Robert Schaap [LIB-1212.2017], we see the following description: In this composition, Kunisada was responsible for the female figure seated in a boat and Utagawa Hiroshige for the background landscape. The setting is Muronotsu in Harima province, which was known at the time as an important harbour catering to traffic along the Inland Sea to Kyoto. It also had the reputation for its female entertainers and prostitutes. They feature in the no play Courtesans of Muro (Murogimi) in which the deity at Muro performs a dance, lured in by the singing of these women.
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. A Parody of Sugawara Stripes / Fan print, 1849-52.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, c. 1815 – 1869). Double nanushi censor seals: Hama & Magome, Kaei 2-5 (1849 – 1852). An uncut fan print (uchiwa-e, 220 x 292 mm) depicts a beautiful woman sitting on a balcony overlooking a bay and reading a book. Above the book, there is an obi with a pattern of stripes or modified key fret motif, with lettering that reads: 菅原島 [Sugawara-jima] and 美立 [mitate]. The lettering and the blossoming plum branch next to the obi provide an allusion to  Sugawara no Michizane [菅原 道真/菅原 道眞] (Japanese, 845 – 903) - a prominent scholar and poet of Heian period exiled from Kyoto to the island of Kyushu as a result of another courtier's slander. A legend says that his beloved plum tree was so fond of its master that it flew to Kyushu with Sugawara. The Davis Museum at Wellesley College describes the print as belonging to the series A Parody of Sugawara Stripe Patterns (Mitate Sugawara-jima). To make the fact of an allusion transparent, Kunisada had changed the usual way of writing "Sugawara stripes" from 菅原縞 to 菅原島 and "mitate" from 見立 to 美立. An unusual spelling was also used to provide additional information to the reader in other cultures. E.g. during the Prohibition Era, the West Coast United States speakeasy bars and bordellos misspelt the items on a menu ("scollops") or in a neon sign ("Martuni's") to tell: here we have more pleasures for you than you may have expected. After Tenpō reforms, the printing of bijin-ga (美人画, "picture of beautiful woman") images was restricted. Our print disguises a typical bijin-ga as an advertisement of an obi (帯, a kimono sash) fabric pattern. "The market of portraits was satisfied and the authorities fooled" [Rebecca Salter. Japanese popular prints. — Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2006].
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Beauty with a lantern / Fan print, 1851.

    Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞]; a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865).

    Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche.

    Publisher: Kojimaya Jūbei (c. 1797-1869), seal: Hanmoto, Jū [板元, 十] (Marks 19-043 | 264c).

    Double nanushi censor seals: Mera & Watanabe – Kaei 4 (1851).

    Uncut fan print (uchiwa-e), 298 x 228 mm depicting a young woman adjusting her hairpin and holding a portable lantern (andon) on a marine background with the full moon, nearby boats and distant cormorant fishers.
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Early autumn (Tanabata), from the series ‘Short love songs, Second volume’ / Fan print, 1858.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō [横川竹二郎] (Japanese, fl. 1845 – 1863), seal: 彫竹 – Hori Take. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1845 – 1847). Combined date and kiwame seal: Ansei 5 (II-XII/1858). Size: Untrimmed fan print (uchiwa-e), 300 x 232 mm.

    A young woman adjusting her hairpin on a balcony during the Tanabata festival, as inscribed on the white folding fan: [七夕] (Tanabata).

    Inscription on the blue book (print title): Early autumn [はつ秋や] (hatsu akiya), inscription on the purple book (series title): Short love songs, second volume [端唄の意 二編] (Hauta no kokoro nihen). According to Marks (2010), Hauta no kokoro nihen series of fan prints was published by Ibaya in 1858 (p. 267|P6871).

    The series refers to love songs of a certain type popular in late Edo. They were performed with the accompaniment of a shamisen, “Seven herbs of autumn, the song of the insects is not heard; the bodies of lightning bugs are burnt, and the precious writings of love are getting thinner like the song of the insects as I am waiting for you. So, on an early autumn evening, I spot the glitter of a lightning bug that lingered among the autumn grasses, and while listening to the pine cricket, I am singing with my heart troubled by love". [Tokyo National Museum; translation provided by Elena Varshavsky].

    Tanabata [たなばた] or [七夕] – meaning "Evening of the seventh", also known as the Star Festival [星祭] (Hoshi matsuri) – is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. One popular Tanabata custom is to write one's wishes on a piece of paper and hang that piece of paper on a specially erected bamboo tree, in the hope that the wishes become true.

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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Five types of haiku in shōfū style / Fan print, 1842-46.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Kōchōrō Kunisada ga [香蝶楼国貞画] in a double-gourd cartouche. Iseya Sōemon [伊勢屋惣右衛門] (Japanese, 1776 – 1862); seal: Ue [上] (Marks 02-041 | 156a). Inscription in the red stripe: Five types of haiku in shōfū style [俳諧五流蕉風] (Haikai gōryū shōfū). Censor's seal: Watari [渡] (Watanabe Shōemon), VI/1842–V ic/1846. Media: Fan print [団扇絵] (Uchiwa-e); size: 225 x 292 mm. An uncut fan print depicts a young woman with an insect (firefly) cage in her left hand. Her striped kimono is adorned with the design of white, grey and blue cherry blossoms. Two of the Seven Grasses of Autumn [秋の七草] (aki no nanakusa), namely Platycodon grandiflorus (kikyō) [桔梗] a.k.a. Chinese bellflower (or balloon flower) and Patrinia scabiosifolia (ominaeshi) [女郎花] a. k.a. Eastern (or Golden) Valerian, are seen on her right-hand side.
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Fuji and Tsukuba sharing an umbrella against the snow / Fan print, c. 1832.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). An untrimmed fan print titled Fuji Tsukuba aiaigasa, shows the actors Nakamura Shikan II [二代目中村芝翫] and the onnagata actor Iwai Kumesaburō II [岩井粂三郎] sharing an umbrella against the snow. Tsukuba, about 50 kilometres from Edo, was an area where both Fuji and Mount Tsukuba could be viewed together. Mount Fuji being the female and Mount Tsukuba the male. An aizuri-e background (common to all the designs in this set). A play on images and words. Actors: Nakamura Utaemon IV [中村歌右衛門] (Japanese, 1796 – 1852); other names: Nakamura Shikan II [二代目中村芝翫], Nakamura Tsurusuke I, Nakamura Tōtarō. Iwai Hanshirō VI [[岩井半四郎] (Japanese, 1799 – 1836); other names: Iwai Hanshirō VI, Iwai Kumesaburō II [岩井粂三郎], Iwai Hisajirō I, Baiga (poetry name), Shūka (poetry name). Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburo [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1845 – 1847). Date: circa 1832. Signed: Kōchōrō Kunisada ga in a red double-gourd cartouche. From the series of fan prints:

    SVJP-0342.2021
    Two more prints from the series 'Fuji and Tsukuba sharing an umbrella' (Fuji Tsukuba aiaigasa), not in this Collection:
    Kabuki actors Onoe Kikugorō III and Iwai Kumesaburo II. Year: c. 1832; Publisher: No seal; Signed: Kōchōrō Kunisada ga From Kunisada Project.
    Kabuki actors Bandō Minosuke II and Iwai Shijaku I. Year: c. 1832; Publisher: No seal; Signed: Kōchōrō Kunisada ga From Kunisada Project.
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Fuji and Tsukuba sharing an umbrella against the wind / Fan print, c. 1832.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). An untrimmed fan print titled Fuji Tsukuba aiaigasa, shows the actors Ichikawa Ebizo V [市川海老蔵] and the onnagata actor Iwai Shijaku I [岩井紫若] sharing an umbrella against the wind. Tsukuba, about 50 kilometres from Edo, was an area where both Fuji and Mount Tsukuba could be viewed together. Mount Fuji being the female and Mount Tsukuba the male. An aizuri-e background (common to all the designs in this set). A play on images and words. Actors: Ichikawa Danjūrō VII [市川団十郎] (Japanese, 1791 – 1859); other names: Ichikawa Ebizō V [市川海老蔵], Ichikawa Hakuen II, Ichikawa Shinnosuke I. Iwai Matsunosuke I [岩井松之助] (Japanese, 1804 – 1845); other names: Iwai Hanshirō VII, Iwai Shijaku I [岩井紫若], Iwai Komurasaki I. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburo [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1845 – 1847). The publisher’s seal is on the umbrella. Date: circa 1832. Signed: Kōchōrō Kunisada ga in a red double-gourd cartouche. From the series of fan prints:

    SVJP-0341.2021
    Two more prints from the series 'Fuji and Tsukuba sharing an umbrella' (Fuji Tsukuba aiaigasa), not in this Collection:
    Kabuki actors Onoe Kikugorō III and Iwai Kumesaburo II. Year: c. 1832; Publisher: No seal; Signed: Kōchōrō Kunisada ga From Kunisada Project.
    Kabuki actors Bandō Minosuke II and Iwai Shijaku I. Year: c. 1832; Publisher: No seal; Signed: Kōchōrō Kunisada ga From Kunisada Project.
     
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Gotenyama, from the series ‘A Collection of Mountains’ / Fan print, 1859.

    Title: Gotenyama [御殿山] – one of the most popular cherry blossom viewing spots; it is a hill at Shinagawa [品川], the second station on the Tōkaidō road [東海道], located on the shores of Edo Bay [江戸湾]. Series: A Collection of Mountains [山つくし] (Yama tsukushi) Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 12 January 1865). Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō, seal: [彫竹] – Hori Take. Publisher: Yama-Ta; seal: [板元, 太] – Hanmoto, Ta; Marks 19-044 | U421b: An unknown publisher in Edo, fl. c. 1815-61. Combined date seal and kiwame censor seal: Ansei 6 (1851). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche. Size: Fan print (uchiwa-e) 227 x 287 mm.
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    Utagawa Kunisada. Ichikawa Danjūrō VII as Kinugawa Iemon and Iwai Kumesaburō II as Tōfuya Kasane in kabuki play ‘Banzei okuni kabuki’ / Fan print, 1827.

    Ichikawa Danjūrō VII [市川団十郎] and Iwai Kumesaburō II [岩井粂三郎] as Kinugawa Iemon [絹川伊右衛門] and Tōfuya Kasane [とうふやヶさね], resp., in kabuki play Banzei okuni kabuki [万歳阿国歌舞妓], performed at Ichimura Theatre [市村座] on March, 21, 1827. References: Kunisada Project; Waseda University. Ichikawa Danjūrō VII [市川団十郎] (Japanese, 1791 – 1859); other names: Ichikawa Ebizō V, Ichikawa Hakuen II, Ichikawa Shinnosuke I. Iwai Hanshirō VI [[岩井半四郎] (Japanese, 1799 – 1836); other names: Iwai Hanshirō VI, Iwai Kumesaburō II, Iwai Hisajirō I, Baiga (poetry name), Shūka (poetry name). Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Gototei Kunisada ga [五渡亭國貞画]. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. 1790s-1860s). Date seal and aratame seal: boar (亥), Bunsei 10 – 1827. Untrimmed fan print (aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e), 235 x 270 mm. Ichimura-za Kabuki Playbill (Tsuji banzuke):    
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    Utagawa Kunisada. Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII at an Announcement Ceremony / Fan drawing, c. 1850.

    Rigid uchiwa fan, ink and colour on paper. Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII in a crimson red robe, on his knees in a ceremonial bowing position to the audience during a formal stage announcement before the performance (Kojo, 口上). The fan has been used, dismounted from the frame, and laid onto Japanese paper, hence the rib marks. Painted c. 1850. Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII [市川団十郎] (Japanese, 1823 – 1854); other names: Ichikawa Ebizō VI, Ichikawa Shinnosuke II. Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni hitsu [豊国筆] with red toshidama seal. Dimensions: 280 x 325 mm Reference: Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII by Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳, 1855.  
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Jisei ha-uta no tsuma-biki / Fan print, 1856.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche Publisher: Iseya Ichiemon [伊勢屋市右衛門] (Japanese, fl. c. 1820s – c. 1860s); seal Tsuji [辻] (Marks 16-029). Media: Untrimmed fan print (uchiwa-e), 225 x 295 mm, plus 10 mm paper strip glued on top (235 mm total height). Title: Plucking Popular Songs in Those Days [時世葉歌の爪弾] (Imayo ha-uta no tsuma-biki). Date seal and aratame seal: Ansei 3 (1856). Seller's Description: Uchiwa-e; picture intended for a summer fan. Here we see a relaxed beauty wearing loose layers of kimono and playing her shamisen instrument. She appears to be in the happy mood of spring, her singing inspired by the cherry blossoms in full bloom that we see outside of her window. She enjoys leisurely plucking with the plectrum of the shamisen and singing “ha-uta” (popular) songs. The title Ha-uta [葉歌] is normally written 端歌, which indicates a certain category of popular songs accompanied by shamisen with short texts that are drawn from daily life.  Here however, the title葉歌 uses phonetically the same “ha葉“, referring to the title of the book of a collection of ha-uta songs, Matsu no ha [松の], which was published in five volumes in 1703 by Shûshôken 秀松軒. It is said that this collection of songs was written and sung by the blind (who were often musicians by livelihood). Behind her, lying on the window sill, we see two ha-uta songbooks, one open and one closed. The last half of the title tsuma-biki [爪弾] translates “to pluck with fingers” instead of a plectrum, which is the usual way of playing the shamisen. 
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Onoe Kikugorō IV as Karukaya Doshin parting from his son, Ishidomaru (played by Ichimura Uzaemon XIII) and Kawarasaki Gonjūrō I as Yamazakiya Yogoro / Fan print, 1856.

    Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞]; a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. 1815 – 1869). Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō [横川竹二郎] (Japanese, fl. 1845 – 1863), seal: 彫竹 – Hori Take. Date seal and aratame censor seal: May of the Year of Dragon [辰五] (Tatsu-go) (5/1856) (Not in Marks). Uncut fan print (uchiwa-e) depicting Onoe Kikugorō IV as Karukaya Dōshin parting from his son, Ishidomaru (played by Ichimura Uzaemon XIII), and Kawarasaki Gonjūrō I as Yamazakiya Yogoro in the kabuki play Karukaya Dōshin Tsukushi no Iezuto [苅萱桑門筑紫𨏍], written by Namiki Sōsuke [並木宗輔] (Japanese, 1695 – 1751) and performed at Ichimuraza [市村座] in 05/1856. Media: Fan print [団扇絵] (Uchiwa-e); size: 235 x 305 mm. Actors: Onoe Kikugorō IV [四代目 尾上菊五郎] (Japanese, 1808 – 1860); other names:  Onoe Baikō IV, Onoe Eizaburō III, Onoe Kikue, Nakamura Tatsuzō, Nakamura Kachō. Onoe Kikugorō V [五代目尾上菊五郎] (Japanese, 1844 – 1903 other names: Onoe Baikō V, Ichimura Kakitsu IV, Ichimura Uzaemon XIII [十三代目市村羽左衛門], Ichimura Kurōemon. Ichikawa Danjūrō IX [市川団十郎] (Japanese, 1838 – 1903); other names: Kawarasaki Sanshō, Kawarasaki Gonnosuke VII, Kawarasaki Gonjūrō I, Kawarasaki Chōjūrō III. Plot: It was a popular belief at one time that jealous women had their hair transformed into writhing serpents and Kato Sayemon Shige-Uji, a daimyo of Tsukushi, a much-married man, suffered from the delusion that his wife was so affected. He fled to the mountains to escape her and led the life of a hermit under the name of Karukaya Doshin [苅萓道心]. One day, on Mount Kōya (高野山, Kōyasan) Karukaya meets a young man who was wandering in the mountains. Being questioned, the youth tells his name, Ishidomaru, and elicits the information that he is seeking his lost father. Karukaya then recognizes the boy as his own son, but firm in the resolve to remain lost to the world, he refrains from disclosing himself, and bids the youth return home. Provenance: Paul F. Walter (American, 1935 – 2017). Ref.:
    1. [LIB-2110.2019] Samuel L. Leiter. Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre (Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts). / 2nd edition. – Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014; pp. 379-380.
    2. [LIB-2206.2019] Basil Stewart. Subjects portrayed in Japanese colour-prints. — London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd., 1922.
     
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Saiko, from the series ‘Chronicles of Elegant Women’ / Fan print, 1859.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō [横川竹二郎] (Japanese, fl. 1845 – 1863), seal: 彫竹 – hori Take. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1845 – 1847). Media: Untrimmed fan print (uchiwa-e), 238 x 304 mm. Title: Saiko (West River) [西江]; 西江 means the Xi River in China. Series: Chronicles of Elegant Women [風雅女史傳] (Fūga joshiden). Combined date seal and kiwame censor seal: Ansei 6 (1859). Other prints from the same series in this collection: SVJP-0216.2016 — Princess Sotoori:

    SVJP-0343.2021 — Tamagiku:

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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Tamagiku, from the series ‘Chronicles of Elegant Women’ / Fan print, 1859.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō [横川竹二郎] (Japanese, fl. 1845 – 1863), seal: 彫竹 – hori Take. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1845 – 1847). Media: Untrimmed fan print (uchiwa-e), 232 x 300 mm. Title: Tamagiku [玉菜]. Series: Chronicles of Elegant Women [風雅女史傳] (Fūga joshiden). Combined date seal and kiwame censor seal: Ansei 6 (1859). Other prints from the same series in this collection [SVJP-0216.2016] — Princess Sotoori: SVJP-0400.2023 — Saiko:   Note by Elena Varshavsky: Tamagiku [玉菜] (Japanese, 1702 – 1726) – Precious Chrysanthemum (translated also as Jade Chrysanthemum; one can say also Gem Chrysanthemum). She was a courtesan famous for her beauty, kind heart, and countless artistic accomplishments. She died young and was deeply grieved by the establishment of Nakamanji-ya (中万字屋) for which she worked, and beyond. Her memory was celebrated during the Bon festival of the commemoration of the dead, and lanterns were hung at the gallery of that establishment and other neighbouring ones to commemorate her and appease her soul. These lanterns are seen behind her. Kabuki plays were continuously dedicated to her, she figured in Edo period literature and was often portrayed on ukiyo-e prints. In many cases, she was shown with the lanterns associated with her. Those lanterns were called “Tamagiku Lanterns”. Other depictions of Tamagiku:

    Tamagiku (Ancient and modern women's biography) by Kunisada, 1859.

     

    Courtesan Tamagiku by Kunichika.

     

    Tamagiku of the Nakamanjiya, Inaki Shinnojō, and Nakamanjiya Yahei (looking through the window) by Kunisada.

     

    Nakamanji-Ya Tamagiku by Kunisada

     

    Nakamanji-Ya Tamagiku by Kunisada, 1857

    Sources: darumapedia; kajiipeta; kabuki21; crosseyedgallery.  
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Time at Fukagawa, Iyo Province / Fan print, 1855.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō [横川竹二郎] (Japanese, fl. 1845 – 1863); seal: Hori Take [彫竹]. Publisher: Iseya Magobei [伊勢屋孫兵衛] (Japanese, fl. c. 1794 – 1868); seal: Hanmoto, Masu [板元, 益] (Marks 19-039 | 150d). Date-aratame seal: Ansei 2 (1855). Title: Time in Fukagawa, Iyo Province (Fukagawa Iyo setsu). Ref.: [LIB-3008.2022] Andreas Marks. Japanese woodblock prints: Artists, publishers and masterworks, 1680 – 1900. — Tuttle Publishing, 2010; p. 221. –> 1855 Kunisada. "Iyo Province-time at Fukagawa" (Fukagawa Iyo setsu). Fan print. Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, Matsumoto.
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  • NEW

    Utagawa Kunisada. Woman arranging the hairpins, from the series ‘The taste of the new type of woman’ / Fan print, c. 1835.

    Half-length portrait of a beautiful young woman wearing a chrysanthemum-patterned green kimono, face directed 3/4 to the right, holding her hands together and fingers spread, arranging the hairpins in her elaborate hairdo; garments of different colours and pattern designs on the background. Series: The taste of the new type of woman (Shingata bijin konomi) [新形美人好]. Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Kōchōrō Kunisada ga [香朝楼國貞画] in a yellow double-gourd cartouche. No publisher seal. No censor/date seal. Media: Untrimmed fan print (Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e), 228 x 305 mm.
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  • Utagawa Kunisada. Woman holding a pipe from the series Six jewel faces (mu tama-gao) / Fan print, c. 1835.

    Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a yellow double-gourd cartouche. Publisher unknown (privately printed?) Media: Rigid fan print (Aiban Yoko-e Uchiwa-e, 合判横絵 団扇絵), 228 x 298 mm. Series title: Six Jewel Faces (六玉颜, mu tama-gao), a pun on Six Jewel Rivers (六玉河, Mu Tamagawa). The date seal and censor seal are absent. Another print from the same series in the Metropolitan Museum of New York  reads:
    The colorful background, with explosions of tie-dyed floral motifs, is a reminder of how Kunisada made all his thousands of Genji-print designs a visual record of different textile patterns of the day. The title Six Jewel Faces (Mu tama-gao), along with its allusion to the literary theme of Six Jewel Rivers, suggests that this set of fan prints captures the appearance of a half-dozen attractive individuals, and, indeed, the other five works in the set show images of beautiful women, mostly courtesans of the pleasure quarters.
    Mitsuuji with Mountain Roses (Yamabuki), from the series “Six Jewel Faces” (Mu tama-gao). MET Accession Number:2019.3 References: 1) [LIB-2967.2022] Utagawa Kunisada: His world revisited / Catalogue 17, Exhibition March 17-21, 2021. — NY: Sebastian Izzard, LLC., 2021. 2) [LIB-3428.2025] Christie’s, New York: Japanese Prints, Paintings, and Screens, Monday, 24 November 1997 / Sales Catalogue, №№ 84-89. Description by the latter: "aiban uchiwa-e (22.7 × 29.8 cm.); a beauty against a background of tie-dyed fabric patterns holding a pipe looking at toy birds hanging from bamboo, from the series Mutamagao “Six jewel faces”, the bird decorations alluding to the Jewel River in Noda (Chidori no Tamagawa) in Rikuzen province, signed Kunisada ga".
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