Actor triptychs and diptychs
Kuniyoshi
designed hundreds of triptychs and diptychs of kabuki actors. Titles of Edo era kabuki
plays are problematic because of the lack of copyright laws. Successful productions were performed in
different theaters with various titles, and popular characters often reappeared
in entirely different plays. Prints
depicting identifiable productions can be dated from theater records. Date seals started appearing on prints in 2nd
intercalary month* of 1852, but there is occasionally a one month discrepancy
between the seals and theater records.
Undoubtedly, some of the single sheets were never part of a diptych or
triptych. Unless otherwise noted, the
individual panels are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size
known as ôban. Additional kabuki prints may be found in the section, Polyptychs of
four or more sheets. I am grateful
to Ward Pieters for assisting with this section.
Prints identified as to performance and/or month
Unidentified prints
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1815-1846
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Prints published between 1815 and the 11th month
of 1846 generally bear a single circular censor’s seal without an oval date
seal.
|
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1846-1852
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Prints published
between the 12th month of 1846 and the 2nd month of 1852
generally bear two circular censor’s seals without an oval date seal.
|
|
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1853-1857
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Prints published between the 12th month of 1853
and the 11th month of 1857 generally bear a single circular
censor’s seal reading aratame
(改, inspected) and an
oval date seal.
|
*an extra month inserted between
the 2nd and 3rd months in the same manner as an extra day
is added to a leap year
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