Abridged Stories of Our Country’s Swordsmanship
(Honchô kendo ryaku den)
Publisher: Kadzusa-ya Iwazô
1845-1846
The prints in this series are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.
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Scene:
Araki Matayemon standing and examining his sword Robinson:
S37.1 |
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Scene: Banzui Chôbei holding up a
lantern with his other hand on the hilt of his sword Robinson:
S37.2 |
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Scene: Fuwa Bansaku having just struck
off the head of a stone-lion with his bare fist Robinson:
S37.3 |
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Scene: Inuda Kobungo examining a sword
and holding a shirazaya
(storage scabbard) Robinson:
S37.4 |
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Scene: Inudzuka Shino wielding his sword with his foot on a fallen
foe during the fight on the Hôryûkaku roof Robinson:
S37.5 |
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Scene: Inukai Kempachi wielding an
iron truncheon in his fight with Shino Robinson:
S37.6 |
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Scene: Inukawa Sôsuke Yoshitô (left) and Inuyama Dôsetsu Tadatomo (right) with a
kettle hanging over a smoky wood fire Robinson:
S37.7 (left) and S36.9 (right) |
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This is another state of
the above diptych. |
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Scene: Inumura Kakutarô seated on a
rock reading a scroll with pine twigs wrapped in paper in his mouth Robinson:
S37.8 |
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Scene: Inuye Shimbyôye watching
falling banana leaves with his hand on the hilt of his sword and a kimono patterned with toy dogs Robinson:
S37.10 |
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Scene: Inudzuka (incorrectly for Inuzaka)
Keno Tanetomo standing with two swords and a large
straw hat behind him Robinson:
S37.11 |
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Scene: Keyamura no Rokusuke stripped
to his waist and drying his back is addressed by a young kappa. A bundle of rushes
and a carrying-pole are behind them. Robinson:
S37.12 NOTE: Kappa are
supernatural creatures that live both on land and in water and are as tall as
a four or five year old child. They
have a beak-like snout, and fins on their hands and feet. They also have a shell on their back, and a
water-filled dish on their head that is responsible for their supernatural
power. |
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Scene:
Matsui Tomijirô Shigenaka
looks down at three wriggling snakes with a basket and a bundle wrapped in
cloth behind him Robinson:
S37.13 |
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Scene:
Minamoto no Ushiwaka Maru
knocking over a tengu during a fencing
bout with wooden swords Robinson:
S37.14 NOTE: Tengu are forest-dwelling creatures
that are either human-like with wings and long noses or bird-like. |
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No image available |
Scene:
Minamoto no Yoshinaka Robinson:
S37.15 |
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Scene:
Miyamoto Musashi dressed for traveling on his way
to see Bukoden Robinson:
S37.16 |
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Scene: Robinson:
S37.17 |
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Scene:
Sasaki Ganryû standing in profile with a clenched
fist Robinson:
S37.18 |
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This is another version of
the above print. It is a less
labor-intensive printing than the above, which almost invariably means a
later edition. In this print, the
delicate shading (bokashi) from
black to brown in the clothing was omitted.
Bokashi was achieved by hand
applying a gradation of ink to the wooden printing block rather than inking
the block uniformly. This
hand-application had to be repeated for each sheet of paper that was printed. |
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Scene:
Shirai Gompachi with a drawn
sword and a dog looking up at him Robinson:
S37.19 |
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Scene: Sono-jo, daughter of Yoshioka Ichimisai,
in nun's robes applying an arm hold to an attacking ruffian Robinson:
S37.20 |
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Scene: Takagi
Oriyemon seated on a large rock with rope attached
having just written an account of his defeat of a robber gang on the wall Robinson:
S37.21 |
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Scene:
Yoshioka Kanefusa defending himself from attacking
policemen Robinson:
S37.22 |
‘Robinson’ refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its unpublished supplement.
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