Abridged Stories of Our Country’s Swordsmanship
(Honchô kendo ryaku den, 本朝剣道略傳)
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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Title: Araki
Mataemon (荒木 又右衛門) Scene:
Araki Matayemon standing and examining his sword Robinson:
S37.1 |
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Title: Banzui Chôbei (幡随長兵衛) Scene: Banzui Chôbei holding up a
lantern with his other hand on the hilt of his sword Robinson:
S37.2 |
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Title: Fuwa Bansaku (不破伴作) Scene: Fuwa Bansaku having just struck
off the head of a stone-lion with his bare fist Robinson:
S37.3 |
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Title: Inuta Kobungo (犬田小文吾) Scene: Inuda Kobungo examining a sword
and holding a shirazaya
(storage scabbard) Robinson:
S37.4 |
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Scene: Inuzuka Shino Moritaka wielding
his sword, his foot on a retainer of Genpachi and Inukai Genpachi Nobumichi himself armed with an iron truncheon during the
fight on the Hôryûkaku roof
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Scene: Inukawa Sôsuke Yoshitô (left) and Inuyama Dôsetsu Tadatomo (right) with a
kettle hanging over a smoky wood fire
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Scene: Inumura Kakutarô seated on a rock
reading a scroll with pine twigs wrapped in paper in his mouth and Inue Shimbyôe watching falling
banana leaves with his hand on the hilt of his sword and a kimono patterned with toy dogs
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Title: Inuzaka Keno Tanetomo (犬塚毛野胤智) 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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Title: 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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Title:
Matsui Tomijiro Shigenaka
(松伊富次郎茂仲) 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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Title: 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 |
Title: Scene: Minamoto no Yoshinaka Robinson:
S37.15 |
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Title: Scene: Miyamoto
Musashi dressed for traveling on his way to see Bukoden Robinson:
S37.16 |
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Title: Scene: Robinson:
S37.17 |
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Title:
Sasaki Ganryu (佐々木岸柳) 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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Title: Shirai Gonpachi (白井権八) Scene:
Shirai Gompachi with a drawn
sword and a dog looking up at him Robinson:
S37.19 |
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Title: Ichimisai musume Sonojo (一味歳娘その女) 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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Title: 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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Title:
Yoshioka Kanefusa (吉岡兼房) Scene:
Yoshioka Kanefusa defending himself from attacking
policemen Robinson:
S37.22 |
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“Robinson” refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement.
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