25 - Toyonobu: Courtesan Standing in Front of a Building

Toyonobu: Courtesan Standing in Front of a Building

I like this bijinga. The geometric background might be a little overbearing, but the figure is graceful with a beautiful posture, and the geometric background provides an interesting contrast to the girl. This is a benizuri-e, a print in pink tones, a technique which was used before the invention of nishiki-e (full colour prints). The creator is Ishikawa Toyonobu (1711-1785), about whom we know very little. The print is named Courtesan Standing in Front of a Building.

24 - Hirosada: Kataoka Gadô II as Matsugae Tetsunosuke and Arashi Rikan III as Saibara Kageyu

Hirosada: Kataoka Gadô II as Matsugae Tetsunosuke and Arashi Rikan III as Saibara Kageyu, 1848

Very little is known about Konishi Hirosada (active ca. 1810-1864 or 1865). However, he was the chief representative of the so-called Osaka school, although he had studied under Utagawa Kunimasu and Utagawa Kunisada in Edo. He used several different names, including Utagawa Hirosada.

As the Osaka school in its entirety, Hirosada devoted himself mainly to kabuki motives, yakusha-e. The Osaka school also distinguished itself by quality of material and extraordinary craftsmanship. Their prints have not aged much. Colours are still almost intact.

Hirosada is sometimes regarded as a genius, and perhaps he was. In any case he was an extraordinarily skilful portraitist, with a style that was expressive without being too garish. A tasteful expressionism. In the kabuki motives he shows a fine sense of drama without exaggerating.

This print is Actors Kataoka Gadô II as Matsugae Tetsunosuke (right) and Arashi Rikan III as Saibara Kageyu (left), in the play Meiboku Sendaihagi, performed at the Chikugo Theatre in Osaka in 1948. The print is a part of the series Tales of Renowned Heroes (Kômei buyû den).

23 - Kuniyoshi: Doll Parodies

Kuniyoshi: Doll Parodies (Ningyô mitate), 1856

This is a mitate-e from 1856 by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861). It is named Doll Parodies (Ningyô mitate), and depicts Shintoism, Confucianism and Buddhism (Shinjubutsu).

We see Hinzuru and Uzume dancing in the foreground, while Confucius and Mencius (sitting) play Go behind them.

Uzume (left) is a Shinto goddess of joy and happiness, Hinzuru (right) is a Buddhist saint. Confucius is the founder of Confucianism, and Mencius is the most famous Confucian philosopher after Confucius himself.

The print depicts “dolls” in the Kannon Temple in Asakusa, yet these were not dolls in a conventional sense. They were life-size statues, clothed and realistic.

1855-1856, Kuniyoshi made a whole series of prints of the dolls displayed in the Kannon Temple, Tôsei mitate ningyô no uchi (當盛見立人形之内), of which “Doll Parodies” is one.

22 - Kyōsai: May (Shōki Riding a Tiger)

Kyōsai: May, (Shōki Riding a Tiger)

This is a triptych by Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889), a skilled artist who considered himself the heir of Hokusai. He made woodblock prints and painted; in addition to that, he was the first political caricaturist in Japan, which caused him three jail sentences.

This triptych from 1887 is part of a series with the twelve months. It represents May, which is also written in English to the right.

Riding on a tiger is Shōki, the Demon Queller. He was a protector against demons and disease. Originally Chinese, as Chung Kwei, he was adopted by the Japanese during the 12th century. Shōki frequently appears as a motive in ukiyo-e.

On Boy's Day, in the 5th month, people used to hang pictures of Shōki, so Kyōsai let him represent May.

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.

20 - Gakutei: Moonlit Night at Suehiro Bridge

Gakutei: Moonlit Night at Suehiro Bridge

Yashima Gakutei (1786–1868) studied under both Hokusai and Totoya Hokkei. He was a poet as well as an artist.

His prints are technically advanced, although he made mainly surimono and book illustrations. His landscapes and seascapes are of a very high quality.

This week's picture is "Moonlit Night at Suehiro Bridge", in the series: Famous Places of Naniwa (Osaka), Views of Tempozan at a Glance (Tempozan Suehiro Bashi - Tsukiyo no Zu) from the 1830s (probably 1834). The style is noticeably influenced by Hokusai.

This was the northern entry into the system of channels covering the land of Tempozan, in Osaka. 

19 - Utamaro: Scops Owl and Bullfinches

Utamaro: Scops Owl and Bullfinches

Momo chidori kyôka awase [One Hundred Birds in a Competition of Humorous Poetry] from about 1790, sometimes considered the epitome of kachô-e, is an album by Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806). In my opinion, there are more beautiful examples of kachô-e, but Utamaro's studies of birds are exquisite. 

The album was published by Tsutaya Juzaburo (1748-1797) as one of his anthologies of kyōka, a form of comic verse. His friend Utamaro illustrated several of those anthologies. Momo chidori kyôka awase is the most famous result of their co-operation.

The picture I have chosen from the album is Scops Owl (Mimizuku) and Bullfinches (Uso).

Kachô-e (also called kachô-ga) is a sub-genre of ukiyo-e. Strictly, it is defined as “studies of flowers and birds”, but while many artists limited themselves to flowers and birds, others went beyond that to other plants and animals. In a broader sense we can say that kachô-e is about studies of plants and animals in general.