Mirror of Women of Wisdom and Courage

(Kenyû fujo kagami)

Publisher: Publisher: Takahashi-ya and Arita-ya

c. 1843

Each print in this series shows the head and shoulders of a woman from history or legend inside a circle surrounded by a different flower on each print. The prints are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.

No image available	Scene: Chiyo-jo Flower: Publisher: Robinson: S29.1
	Scene: Chûjô-hime holding the two ends of a string game or puzzle against a background of brocade with a waterwheel design Flower: Lotus Publisher: Takahashi-ya (Bunyeidô) of Ichigaya Robinson: S29.2
No image available	Scene: Hanjo-gozen with a bamboo branch over her shoulder, to which a fan is attached Flower: Cherry blossoms Publisher: Robinson: S29.3
	Scene: Kaji of Gion holding a fan (uchiwa) to her mouth Flower: Convolvulus Publisher: Takahashi-ya (Bunyeidô) of Ichigaya Robinson: S29.4
	Scene: O-Kane (Kane-jo), the strong woman of Ômi Province carrying a tub of laundry Flower: Pinks Publisher: Takahashi-ya (Bunyeidô) of Ichigaya Robinson: S29.5
	Scene: Matsushima no Tsubone with a writing brush in her mouth examining a bundle rolled in fabric Flower: Tiger lilies Publisher: Arita-ya Seiemon Robinson: S29.6
	Scene: Ôkio striking a flint with a pipe in her mouth Flower: Irises Publisher: Takahashi-ya (Bunyeidô) of Ichigaya Robinson: S29.7
	Scene: The great poetess, Ono no Komachi, holding a poem and a fan under an umbrella Flower: Peonies Publisher: Takahashi-ya (Bunyeidô) of Ichigaya Robinson: S29.8
	Another state of the above print
	Scene: Tokiwa-gozen in the snow sheltering her children under her hat Flower: Camellias Publisher: Takahashi-ya (Bunyeidô) of Ichigaya Robinson: S29.9
	This is another state of the above print. It is a less labor-intensive printing than the above, which almost invariably means a later edition. In this print, the delicate shading (bokashi) in the rectangular cartouche in the right upper corner was omitted. 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.
	Scene: Tomoye-jo holding the helmet of Yoshinaka Flower: Publisher: Takahashi-ya (Bunyeidô) of Ichigaya Robinson: S29.10

‘Robinson’ refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its unpublished supplement.

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