Celebrated Products of Mountains and Seas

(Sankai medetai zue)

Part I

1852

In this series of prints, a beautiful woman (bijin) expresses a desire or feeling.  An insert in the left upper corner shows the production of one of Japan’s products associated with a particular location.  This series is listed as number 117 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961).  The prints in this series are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.  I am grateful to Ward Pieters for assisting with this series.

 

Number: 1

Product: Product of Wakasa in the northwestern part of Fukui

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Mita-ya Kihachi

 

Number: 2

Product: Whales at Hirado Province

Desire or feeling: wishing to see soon

Publisher: Idzumi-ya Ichibei

 

Number: 3

Product: Night fishing in Tamba

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Jôshûya Kinzô

 

Number: 4

Product: Net-hunted duck of Jôshû Province (Jôshû kasumiami kamo)

Desire or feeling: wishing to dream a happy dream (Yoi yume demo mitai)

Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei

 

 

 

 

Number: 5

Product: shrimp from Ise Province

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô (Kôyeidô) of Nandemma-chô

 

This is an alternate version of the above print.  It is made from the same woodblocks, but the background of the main image and the foreground of the inset are black, or almost black.

 

Number: 6

Product:

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Jôshûya Kinzô

 

Number: 7

Product: Octopus from Namerikawa in Etchu Province (Etchû Namerikawa ôtako)

Desire or feeling: It hurts (oo itai)

Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô (Kôyeidô) of Nandemma-chô

 

 

 

Number: 8

Product:  Geese from Takanawa in Settsu Province

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

 

Number: 9

Product:

Desire or feeling:  Wishing to enjoy a free life

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

 

Number: 10

Product:

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Mita-ya Kihachi

 

Number: 11

Product: product of Sansho

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

 

Number: 12

Product: Quarried stone from Toyoshima

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô (Kôyeidô) of Nandemma-chô

 

This is another state of the above print with different coloration including a solid red title cartouche.

 

Number: 13

Product: Jellyfish from Bizen Province

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Jôshûya Kinzô

 

Number: 14

Product: Sea cucumbers from Mikawa Province (Mikawa nama namako)

Desire or feeling: Wanting to suckle (chichi ga nomitai)

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

 

 

Number: 15

Product:

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Jôshûya Kinzô

 

Number: 16

Product:

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei

 

Number: 17

Product: Limestone (sekkai) from Ômi Province

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô (Kôyeidô) of Nandemma-chô

 

Number: 18

Product: Product of  Kishu

Desire or feeling: desire to try on new kimono  (Hayaku kite mitai)

Publisher: Jôshûya Kinzô

 

This is a simplified and less labor intensive printing of the above design.  The delicate shading (bokashi) in the background and on the mountain in the insert has been eliminated.  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. 

 

Number: 19

Product: Octopus of Takasago in Banshu Province

Desire or feeling: Desire to  decide as soon as possible

Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei

 

Number: 20

Product: Lamprey eels from Suwa (Suwa yatsume unagi)

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Mita-ya Kihachi

 

No image available

 

Number: 21

Product:

Desire or feeling:

Publisher:

 

 

Number: 22

Product: Whitebait fish from Nishimiya in Shinano Province

Desire or feeling: Desire to see the next volume (tsuzuki ga mitai)

Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô (Kôyeidô) of Nandemma-chô

 

Number: 23

Product:

Desire or feeling:

Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei

 

Number: 24

Product: Butterbur greens (yamabuki) from Akita

Desire or feeling: Desire to eat something delicious (oishimono ga tabetai)

Publisher: Sano-ya Kihei

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