Fashionable Series of Children’s Dances

(Fûryû kodomo odori zukushi, 風流子供踊り盡)

Publisher: Maru-ya Seijirô

c. 1840

This series shows children as dancers against a background of colored stylized clouds. It is listed as number 142 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). Many, and possibly all, of these designs were also used in the series Children's Games. 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 assisting with this series.

	Subtitle: The Heron Maiden (Sagi musume, さぎ娘) Description: Child dressed as the Heron Maiden wearing a long-sleeved kimono with a black velvet obi and holding a large open umbrella
	Subtitle: Sanbasô (三ばそう) Description: Children as sambasô dancers
	Subtitle: Hama Matsukaze (はま松かぜ) Description: Matsukaze on the beach
	A simplified state of the above design
	Subtitle: Dojoji Description: Child dancing with fan
	Subtitle: Shûjaku (しうじやく) Description: Girl holding a shûjaku, a lion mask from the kabuki dance Hanabusa Shûjaku no Shishi
	An alternate state of the above design
	Subtitle: Yama Uba, Kaido-maru (山うば怪童丸) Description: Two children dressed as Yama Uba and Kaido-maru dancing with drums
	Another state without any green
	Subtitle: Mitsu Ningyô (三ツ人形) Description: Girl carrying two buckets NOTE: The dance-drama Sono Sugata Hana no Utsushie is commonly called Mitsu Ningyô
	Another state of the above design
	Subtitle: Woman of Ohara Village (Oharame, おはら女) Description: Girl with bundle of brushwood on her head
	Another state of the above design with a blue ground
	An additional state in which the cartouche reads Kyôto Children as Tradesmen (Keishi kodomo akindo, 京師子供商人)
	Subtitle: Shakkyo (石橋) Description: Child performing the lion dance from the play Shakkyo
	Subtitle: Kakubei (角べい) Description: Two boys performing the Echigo Lion Dance

“Robinson” refers to listing of the series in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961).

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN PAGE