74 - Toshinobu II: Nitta no Shiro Tadatsune faces the Goddess of Mount Fuji and her dragon

Toshinobu II: Nitta no Shiro Tadatsune faces the Goddess of Mount Fuji and her dragon

This is a triptych by Toshinobu II, which shows Nitta no Shiro Tadatsune facing the Goddess of Mount Fuji and her dragon in a cave on Mt. Fuji. Tadatsune’s followers were afraid to enter the cave but Nitta no Shiro took a torch and entered. The Goddess congratulates him on his bravery.

Shirai Toshinobu (1866-1903) was a student of Yoshitoshi, who gave him the name Toshinobu.

This is a very beautiful print, although one can claim that the depicted animal is not a dragon but a serpent. In art, however, the borderline between the two is vague. Otherwise, strictly, a dragon has limbs, a serpent does not.

The name “Toshinobu” causes some confusion as to whom it really refers, because Yoshitoshi had three students using that name, and two of them signed with the same kanji characters [年信]. I believe, however, that here we have a triptych by Shirai Toshinobu, who is sometimes called Yamazaki Toshinobu II.

32 - Hokkei: En'ryû zu - The salt dragon

Hokkei: En'ryû zu - The salt dragon

This is a surimono by Totoya Hokkei (1780–1850), one of Hokusai's students. The exact year when this print was produced is unknown, but one can assume that it was made for The Year of the Dragon, and that would give us two alternatives, 1820 and 1832.

The print shows a salt dragon. The poem on the left hand side at the top was written by Ganjotei Hakuyo.

Hokkei is a versatile and interesting ukiyo-e artist. Skilled and clearly inspired by his master, Hokusai, yet he remained highly individualistic.

21 - Kuniyasu: Parody of Shi Jin, the Nine Dragoned: Akomi of the Ôgiya

Kuniyasu: Parody of Shi Jin, the Nine Dragoned: Akomi of the Ôgiya

Here we have one of those hard-to-interpret mitate-e, with many layers of meaning in contrast with each other. At first sight this is nothing more than a bijinga. Indeed, it is a specified woman, Akomi of the Ôgiya. The print is made by Utagawa Kuniyasu (1794-1832), and it is called Parody of Shi Jin, the Nine Dragoned (Kyûmonryû Shishin no mitate): Akomi of the Ôgiya; from the series One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Shuihuzhuan (Tsûzoku Suikoden gôketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)."

The Ôgiya was a great brothel in Yoshiwara, Edo's pleasure district. Many ukiyo-e artists created bijinga with portraits of courtesans from this "House". As so many aspects of life in old Japan, a brothel, or a "House", was organised according to a strict hierarchy. The reigning courtesan of the Ôgiya had the hereditary name Hana-o gi.

But who is Shi Jin, the nine-dragoned, with whom Kuniyasu contrasts the courtesan?

He is a character in a Chinese literary classic, Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn (Water Margin). The story is too long to be told here, but Shi Jin had nine dragon tattoos on his body. Compare that to the pattern of the courtesan's kimono.

It is customary to translate "mitate" to "parody", but it can be misleading. I have explained that in a previous article.

11 - Keisei: Benzaiten Seated on a White Dragon

Keisei: Benzaiten Seated on a White Dragon - 1832-1833

Aoigaoka Keisei was active during the 1820s and 1830s. He was Hokkei's student, possibly also Hokusai's, and his prints, mainly surimono and book illustrations, are of a very high technical standard.

This print is named "Benzaiten sitting on a White Dragon". It is also called "The Goddess Benzaiten Appears to Hôjô Tokimasa at Enoshima". But that title is misleading, unless one sees the whole vertical diptych, of which this is the top print. The bottom print is missing here.

Benzaiten is a Japanese Buddhist goddess of everything that flows: water, words, music, time, and knowledge - and she is one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune. She is also considered a Shinto kami and a protector deity of Japan, and she is associated with dragons. Her origin can be traced back to the Hindu goddess Saraswati.

The musical instrument she holds is a biwa, a traditional Japanese lute.

02 - Koryusai: Dragon

Isoda Koryusai: Dragon

Isoda Koryusai (1735-1790) was the artistic heir of Harunobu, although it is not known if he was ever Harunobus student. In my opinion, Koryusai is an underestimated artist. Harunobu, before him, and Kiyonaga, after him, tend to get most of the attention.

The Dragon above is not typical for Koryusai's art. Indeed, originally it is not his picture, but a copy he made of a painting by Ganki (a 14th century Zen painter), The text at the top states "Painted by Ganki". It is also signed "Hokyo Koryusai sha", which means "copied by Koryusai".

I have not seen Ganki's original painting, but I am fascinated by Koryusai's copy. This dragon, a creature of magic and legend, might very well be the one compelled by the Chinese Sennin Chennan (or Chinnan) to rise from the mud and open "the cataracts of heaven" over the village of Sogo, where people were praying for rain.

Koryusai is considered as the second master of nihiski-e, brocade prints, or full-colour prints, but the (almost) monochrome nature of this picture definitely adds to its fascination. Yet there is limited colour manually added on fangs and claws, although that is barely discernible.