70 - Shungyō: Hōsō taiji no zu

Shungyō: Hōsō taiji no zu

This is a smallpox print. The red colour protects against smallpox, according to traditional Japanese lore. Its name is Hōsō taiji no zu. I have not been able to conclusively date this print.

There are sources dating it to the late 19th century. But Shungyō was active 1780-1840, so either the dating is wrong or it is from a different artist.

69 - Kunihiro: Nakamura Shikan II as Nuregami Chôgorô and Nakamura Matsue III as keisei Miyako

Kunihiro: Nakamura Shikan II as Nuregami Chôgorô and Nakamura Matsue III as keisei Miyako

Here we have a yakusha-e by Utagawa Kunihiro, Nakamura Shikan II as Nuregami Chôgorô and Nakamura Matsue III as keisei [courtesan] Miyako in the play Futatsu chôchô kuruwa nikki, from the Kado Theater in Osaka in 1827.

68 - Koryusai: Fisherman Waving to Girl on Shore

Koryusai: Fisherman Waving to Girl on Shore

A bijinga by Isoda Koryusai. Fisherman Waving to Girl on Shore. It is Summer from a series of Four Seasons from 1770-75. Note that this is an ordinary girl, not a geisha or courtesan.

67 - Sekkyô: White Falcon in a Pine Tree

Sekkyô: White Falcon in a Pine Tree

This is White Falcon in a Pine Tree, by Sawa Sekkyô, who was active in the late 18th and early 19th century. His studies of birds are often, as here, made as aizuri-e, with only blue colour.

66 - Chikanobu: The Battle of Awazugahara

Chikanobu: The Battle of Awazugahara: The warrior woman Tomoe Gozen and Hatakeyama Shigetada

Here we have a triptych from 1883 by Toyohara Chikanobu: The Battle of Awazugahara: The warrior woman Tomoe Gozen and Hatakeyama Shigetada.

The print is an illustration to Heike Monogatari [平家物語] - The Tale of the Heike - which is a recording from the 13th century about the wars between the Taira (Heike) and the Minamoto (Genji) clan.

Tomoe Gozen was a female samurai who became a fighter in order to protect Kiso Yoshinaka, her beloved.

65 - Masanobu: Murasaki Shikibu

Masanobu: Murasaki Shikibu

Okumura Masanobu (1686-1764) was one of the earliest ukiyo-e masters. He experimented with style, motive, perspective, format, and technique. Posterity has not given him the attention he deserves. His works definitely influenced subsequent ukiyo-e.

This print is: Murasaki Shikibu, from the series Ukiyo-e Genji, created about 1710.

Murasaki Shikibu was a lady of nobility. She wrote what is often considered the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji [源氏物語, Genji Monogatari], written sometime between 1000 and 1012 AD.

64 - Gekkō: Carp in the Tone River

Gekkō: Carp in the Tone River

Carp in the Tone River is a print by Ogata Gekkō. It is taken from the series Famous Views and Beautiful Women.