58 - Nobukazu: Beauties Viewing Moon

Nobukazu: Beauties Viewing Moon, about 1890

A bijinga in the form of a triptych by Watanabe Nobukazu: Beauties Viewing the Moon, from about 1890.

57 - The Kanbun Master: Shunga from Yoshiwara Pillow Pictures

The Kanbun Master: Shunga from Yoshiwara Pillow Pictures

This print is an example of Shunga, erotic motives, although it is quite innocent and not as explicit as many later Shunga works. The artist is interesting; it is the Kanbun Master, active about 1660-1673. His identity is unknown, but he is considered a direct precursor to ukiyo-e. He was mentor to Hiskikawa Moronobu, who is generally considered as the first ukiyo-e artist.

This shunga is from a book, Yoshiwara Pillow Pictures.

56 - Ginkô: Tennō Yūryaku overpowers a large wild boar at Mount Katuragi

Ginkô: Tennō Yūryaku overpowers a large wild boar at Mount Katuragi, 1896

Emperorr Yūryaku, [雄略天皇 - Yūryaku-tennô], who reigned about 456-469 AD, was the 21st emperor of Japan. Here Adachi Ginkô shows him as a hunter: Tennō Yūryaku overpowers a large wild boar at Mount Katuragi in 461 AD. The print is from 1896.

Tennô [天皇] means "heavenly sovereign" and is the official title of the Japanese ruler. "Emperor" is a Western attempt of a translation. But "Tennô" in Japanese refers only to the Japanese ruler. Foreign emperors are called kōtei [皇帝]. However, the title tennô is not known to have been used before the 40th emperor, Tenmu, who reigned 631-686 AD. Thus Yūryaku was never called tennô in his lifetime.

55 - Eizan: Hanaôgi of the Ôgiya

Eizan: Hanaôgi of the Ôgiya, 1806-1808

The widely underrated Kikugawa Eizan (1787-1867), completed and ended the development of classical bijinga, which leads in a straight line from Haronubu, via Koryusai, Kiyonaga and Utamaro, finally to peak with Eizan. Both Koryusai and Eizan are often overlooked, but they certainly deserve attention as the masters they were.

This is Hanaôgi of the Ôgiya, from the series Women of Seven Houses (Shichikenjin), a pun on Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. Eizan created this print sometime between 1806 and 1808.

54 - Shinsai: Carp among pond plants

Shinsai: Carp among pond plants

This surimono shows a carp and water-weeds. Carps occur frequently in Japanese art, where they symbolise "achievement against adversity".

The artist is Ryūryūkyo Shinsai (1764?-1823, active 1799-1823), who was one of Hokusai's students.

53 - Hokusai: The Strong Oi Pouring Sake

Hokusai: The Strong Oi Pouring Sake

The Strong Oi Pouring Sake is a portrait Hokusai made of his daughter, Oi. She was also an artist and her art name was Sakae; the title of the portrait is likely to be a pun based on that.

Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage, sometimes called rice wine. While it is made of rice, it is not correct to call it wine. It is not, as wine, made by fermentation of sugar naturally present in grapes (or other fruit), but by a brewing-like process, where starch is first converted to sugar, which is then fermented to produce the alcohol. Thus, technically, sake is not wine.

 

52 - Kunisada: Yakusha-e from the Kawarazaki Theatre 1852

Kunisada: Yakusha-e from 1852

This is a yakusha-e by Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865), Actors Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Nuregami Chôgorô (right), Ichikawa Saruzô I as Yamasaki Yogorô, Iwai Kumesaburô III as Azuma of the Fujiya (center), and Arashi Rikan III as Hanaregoma Chôkichi (left). It shows scenes from the plays Imoseyama Onna Teikin and Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki, at Kawarazaki Theatre in 1852.

Kunisada, sometimes called Toyokuni III, was the superstar of his time, the ukiyo-e artist who had the greatest commercial success during his own lifetime. He was more famous in Japan of his time than Hokusai or Hiroshige.