Kuniyoshi Project

Actors playing the game of ken,

Part I

Prints depicting the game of ken (拳) are called ken no e (拳の絵). Ken was often played as a drinking game and was incorporated into several kabuki plays as a dance. The prints with small human figures illustrate the dance steps. After the imposition of a ban on actor prints in 1842, Kuniyoshi produced numerous humorous designs with thinly disguised actors’ portraits as animals or other objects playing ken. All the prints reproduced in this section are either single ôban (about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) or composed of more than one ôban sheet placed side-by-side. Additional information about these prints may be found in the article: Linhart, Sepp, Kuniyoshi’s Ken Caricatures between 1847 and 1853, Andon, Vol. 83, 2008, pp. 5-29.

	Title: Ken Exercises (Ken no keiko) Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichikawa Kuzô II, and Matsumoto Kinshô I playing ken Date: 1847 Publisher: Ta (phonetic pronunciation of た), possibly fake Linhart: 2/10124 NOTE: This print is unsigned
	Title: Totetsuru ken hitori keiko (とてつるけんひとりけいこ) Description: Three actors in female roles (onnagata) are playing the game of kitsune-ken Date: 5^th month of 1847 (censors Mera and Murata) Publisher: Jôshû-ya Kinzô (上金) Linhart: 6/10009
	Title: Ataru ken kurabe Description: Three actors as fishermen Date: 3^rd month of 1847 Publisher: Nomura-ya Tokubei Linhart: 8/10063
	Title: Comical Ken Game of Darumas (Dôke Daruma ken, 道化だるまけん) Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV (right), Ichikawa Kuzô II (center) and Matsumoto Kinshô I (left) playing the game of ken. Date: 3^rd month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura) Publisher: Hori Masa Linhart: 11/10073 NOTE: This print is from the series “Daruma’s Buffoonery” (Dôke Daruma asobi) which is listed as number 191 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). The background is printed in yellow, as in other prints from this series.
	I am grateful to Marc DeVriese for this variant with bokashi (gradual shading of color) on only one figure.
	Title: A Ken Game for Good Fortune in the New Year of the Monkey (Iroma sarutoshi haru no kotobuki ocha no ko ken, 色真申歳　春の寿きお茶のこけん) Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV depicted as pine, Ichikawa Kuzô II as a turtle, and Seki Sanjûrô III as a crane Date: 1^st month of 1848 (censors Hama and Kinugasa) Publisher: Ebisu-ya Shôshichi Linhart: 28/10020
	Title: Hôrai-ken Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichikawa Kuzô II, and Seki Sanjûrô III playing ken Date: 2^nd month of 1848 Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi Linhart: 30/10144
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken, 三国券) Description: Ichimura Uzaemon XII (in front) as the Ise Shrine of Japan (Nihon Daijingû), Nakamura Utaemon IV (at left) as the Buddha in India (Tenjiku Shaka), and Seki Sanjûrô III (in back) as Confucius in Chi playing ken Date: 12^th month of 1848 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura) Publisher: Fujioka-ya Keijirô Linhart: 31/10041
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV as Nippon Daijingû (the goddess Amaterasu from Japan), Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Morokoshi Kôshi (Confucius from China), and Seki Sanjûrô III as Tenjiku Shaka (Shakayamuni, the historical Buddha from India) playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura) Publisher: Ômi-ya Heihachi Linhart: 32/10035
	Another state of the above print with altered text
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken, 三国券) Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV as Nippon Daijingû (the goddess Amaterasu from Japan), Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Morokoshi Kôshi (Confucius from China), and Seki Sanjûrô III as Tenjiku Shaka (Shakayamuni, the historical Buddha from India) playing ken Date: 1849 Publisher: Linhart: Not listed I am grateful to Marc DeVriese for this image.
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichimura Uzaemon XII and Seki Sanjûrô III playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 (censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: Ôta-ya Takichi Linhart: 37/10036 I am grateful to Marc DeVriese for this image.
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichimura Uzaemon XII and Seki Sanjûrô III playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura) Publisher: Ôta-ya Takichi Linhart: 38/10037
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV (standing left), Ichimura Uzaemon XII (sitting) and Seki Sanjûrô III (right) playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 (censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: Koga-ya Katsugorô Linhart: 39/10039
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken, 三国拳) Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichimura Uzaemon XII and Seki Sanjûrô III playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 (censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: No seal Linhart: 40/10038
	Another state of the above design without any green
	Title: Finishing Kickball Practice at the Studio for Instruction in the Arts (Shogei shiansho nite mari no keiko osumi, 諸げい指安所にてまりのけいこおすみ); The Ken Game of the Three Countries (Sangoku ken, 三国拳) Description: Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Tobigashira Kakichi, Fujikawa Kayû III as the country girl, and Nakamura Utaemon IV as the fortuneteller (uranaisha) Sangokuken Date: 1^st month of 1849 (censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: Okaei Linhart: 41/10040
	Print title: Yôji gakure no zu (ようじがくれの図) Play: Shinki ikken tori no hatsugoe (新規一拳酉魁声) Description: Bandô Shuka I as Oiso of Naka-no-cho (大磯中の町お秀), Nakamura Utaemon IV as 浅草の郷者三国軒, and Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Tobigashira Kakichi (鳶頭嘉吉) playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 Theater: Ichimura Publisher: Izutsu-ya Shôkichi Linhart: /10043
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichimura Uzaemon XII and Seki Sanjûrô III playing ken Date: 2^nd month of 1849 Publisher: Takano-ya Tomoemon Linhart: 42/10044 NOTE: This print is unsigned
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken (三国拳) Description: Actor playing the shamisen Date: 1849-1852 (censors Hama and Magome) Publisher: Ôta-ya Takichi (called Hori Takichi of Yushima in Kuniyoshi by B. W. Robinson) Linhart: Not listed
	Title: Teach Yourself the Ken Game of the Three Countries (Sangoku ken o sono mama ni hitori keiko, 三国拳をそのまゝに独けいこ) Description: Actor Nakamura Utaemon IV playing the shamisen Date: 1^st month of 1849 Publisher: Linhart: 44/10049