100 Pleasant Stories

(Hyaku iro-banashi, 百品噺)

Publisher: Sawa-ya Kôchichi

1849-1851

The series is listed as number 202 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). The prints are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban. I am grateful to Robert Pryor for his contributions to this section.

	Title: The flea named Nomi-no-Sukune (Nomi-no-sashi a hi-banashi, 蚤のさしあひばなし) Description: An actor listening to the story of a flea named Nomi-no-Sukune, who believes he is human Inscription: The flea comes out of a mattress and finds himself in the room of a beautiful woman. He goes out into the cool summer night and wanders through a bamboo forest. On his way back, he thinks of her maid servant and proceeds to her quarters where he finds her tending a little boy who is sleeping under a mosquito net. Image courtesy of Tom Taylor
	Title: The Story of the Dangling Bell (Chu bura rin no banashi, 中ぶら鈴のはなし) Description: Inscription summary: A family wastrel, thinks about his lost life and wife, too lazy to act on anything
	Title: The Story of the Heavenly Soy-sauce Barrel (Shôyutaru no tenjô banashi, 醤油樽の天上ばなし) Description: Inscription:
	Title: The Story of the Jorogumô’s Lair (Jorôgumo no sugaki banashi, 絡新婦の巣がゝきばなし) Description: A beautiful woman looking at a teakettle decorated with a large fly Inscription: NOTE: A jorôgumo (絡新婦 or 女郎蜘蛛) is a demon in the form of a spider that can change its appearance into that of a seductive woman
	Another state of the above design
	Title: The Story of the Fallen Onigawara (Onigawara no otsukochi banashi, 鬼瓦のおつこちばなし) Description: A child with an onigawara (a roof ornamentation said to protect from harm) that has fallen off the roof Inscription:
	Title: The Story of the Terrible Mosquitoes (Yabu ka no tonda hanashi, 藪蚊のとんだはなし) Description: Man with smoke pot Inscription:

The following prints, by different artists, have the same title (百品噺) and publisher (Sawa-ya Kôchichi) as the preceding, and may be considered part of the same series.

	Artist: Hiroshige Title: The story of geta (かたちんば下駄のはなし) Description: Young woman and monk Inscription: NOTE: Geta are wooden platform sandals.
	Artist: Hiroshige Title: Description: An old man and a young boy with paper lanterns in place of their heads Inscription:
	Artist: Kunisada Title: The Story of Fan on the Outdoor Bench (Suzumidai no dansen banashi, 涼台の団扇ばなし) Description: Inscription:
	Artist: Kunisada Title: The Story of Lady-in-waiting and the Portable Lamp (Yoakari no tsubone banashi, 道行燈の局ばなし) Description: Inscription:
	Artist: Kunisada Title: The Story of the Wedding of the Mirror Stand (Kaga midai no yomeiri banashi, 鏡台の嫁入ばなし) Description: Woman looking at the back of her head with two mirrors Inscription:
	Artist: Yoshitora Title: The Story of the Sake Drinking Inkeeper (Teishu no sake nomu banashi. 亭主の酒呑ばなし) Description: A standing man who is obviously inebriated Inscription:

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