Military Brilliance for the Eight Views

(Yôbu hakkei, 燿武八景)

Publisher: Enshû-ya Hikobei

1852

In eleventh century China, eight views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers developed as a formalized series of landscape paintings. They represented views of the rivers and wetlands around Lake Dongting. The same eight views—autumn moon, lingering snow, evening glow, vesper bells, returning boats, clearing weather, night rain and homing geese—are likened to Japanese heroes in this series of prints. 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 Robert Pryor for his contributions to this section.

View: Autumn Moon at Gojô Bridge (Gojo Akitsuki, 五条秋月)

Scene: Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸) playing his flute

Robinson: S76.1

Another state with a green cartouche and without a shadow in the moon

View: Lingering Snow at Ishiyama (Ishiyama bosetsu, 石山暮雪)

Scene: Suzuki Shigeyuki (鈴木重幸) with his pistol

Robinson: S76.2

Image courtesy of Pierre Wijermans

Another state with a solid red cartouche and snow superimposed over the gun

Another state of the above design. The blue sky has been replaced with a black sky turning the print into a nocturnal scene.

View: Evening Glow at Awazu (Awazu yusho, 粟津夕照)

Scene: Tomoe-gozen (巴御前) after the battle of Awazugahara

Robinson: S76.3

I am grateful to Richard Wilk for this image of another state without any purple.

Yet another state with a clear sky and a red glow of sunset

View: Vesper Bell at Tôdaiji Temple (Tôdaiji bansho, 東大寺晩鐘)

Scene: Akushichibyôe Kagekiyo (悪七兵衛景清) in monk’s habit ready to resist arrest

Robinson: S76.4

Another state of the above design

View: Returning Boats at the Ryûkyû Islands (Ryukyu kihan, 琉球帰帆)

Scene: Minamoto no Tametomo (源為朝) onboard ship with Kiheiji swimming in the background

Robinson: S76.5

Another state of the above design with a green cartouche in the right upper corner. I am grateful to Marc DeVriese for this image.

View: Clearing weather at Horikawa (Horikawa seiran, 堀川晴嵐)

Scene: Eda Genzô (江田源蔵) defending Horikawa Palace

Robinson: S76.6

Another state with a black background

Another state of the above design courtesy of Marc DeVriese.

View: Night Rain at Narumi (Narumi yu-u, 鳴海夕雨)

Scene: Inagawa Yoshioto (稲川良音), representing the historical Minamoto no Yoshimoto, fighting in a downpour of rain at the battle of Okehazama (1560)

Robinson: S76.7

Another state with a solid red cartouche

View: Homing Geese at the Northern Capital (Pekin rakugan, 北京落雁)

Scene: Fujiwara no Masakiyo (藤原正清, the historical Kato Kiyomasa) watching a flock of geese

Robinson: S76.8

NOTE: This is the first edition.

Another state of the above design without ribs in the fan. I am grateful to Marc DeVriese for this image.

This is one of several series of prints Kuniyoshi designed consisting of bust portraits with irregularly shaped cartouches in the right upper corner. In each of these series, the cartouche is bordered by small pictures. The table below shows a typical cartouche from each of these series as well as the script within the cartouche that identifies the series. The color of the cartouches is not a reliable guide to identifying the series, as it may vary with successive printings.

		English title: Mirror of the Loyal Courage of the Faithful Retainers Japanese title: Chûshin giyû kagami Description: Bust of an actor as one of the Forty-seven Rônin with a landscape background
		English title: Famous Views of Edo Selected for the Twelve Months Japanese title: Edo meisho mitate jû-ni ka gwatsu no uchi Description: Bust of actor with landscape in upper half of print above a stylized cloud
		English title: Selection for the Twelve Signs Japanese title: Mitate jûnishi no uchi Description: Bust of an actor with a full-length figure of another actor in a landscape as a background
		English title: Set of Views of Fuji from Edo in Iroha Order Japanese title: Nanatsu iroha Tôto Fuji zukushi Description: Actor’s bust with landscape showing Mount Fuji inserter in the left upper corner
		English title: Celebrated Products of Mountains and Seas Japanese title: Sankai medetai zue Description: Bust of beautiful woman with insert of landscape showing provincial industry in left upper corner NOTE: Various scripts were used in this series, but the two kanji shown at left are most consistent
		English title: Thirty-six Fashionable Restaurants of the Eastern Capital Japanese title: Tôto ryûkô san-jû-rokkwaiseki Description: Bust of actor with restaurant in background
		English title: Military Brilliance for the Eight Views Japanese title: Yôbu hakkei Description: Bust of a military hero in a landscape

“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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