Japanese Heroes for the Twelve Signs

Polyptychs of four or more sheets

Part I

Unless otherwise noted, the individual panels 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 section.

Title of polyptych: Tosenn sono Fuji bitai (とうせん其の富士びたい)

Actors from left:

First:

Second: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII holding a closed fan

Third:

Fourth: Bandô Shûka I in a female role holding an open fan

Fifth: Sawamura Sôjûrô V holding a closed fan

Play:

Theater:

Date: 6^th month of 1852

Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke (海老屋林之助)

Actors: A single sheet from another state of the above polyptych showing Sawamura Sôjûrô V

Play:

Theater:

Date: 6^th month of 1852

Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke

Title on each sheet: Eight Views of Edo (Azuma hakkei uchi, 東八景内)

Actors from left:

First: Nakamura Utaemon IV as a toshima (mature woman, 旁妻)

Text: Evening bell on the Sumida river (Sumida bansho, 隅田晩鐘)

Second: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Tanzen (丹前)

Text: 深川朧月

Third: Nakamura Utaemon IV as the boatman (船頭)

Text: 高輪帰帆

Fourth: Nakamura Utaemon IV as the Dragon Princess (天女)

Text: Falling geese at Shinobu no oka (Shinobu no oka rakugan, 忍岡落雁)

Play: Hanagoyomi iro no showake (花翫暦色所八景)

Theater: Nakamura

Date: 3^rd month of 1839

Publisher: Izumi-ya Ichibei

Actors from left:

First: Onoe Matsusuke III as 赤沢十作

Second: Ichikawa Ebizô V as Dozaemon Denkichi (土左衛門伝吉)

Third: Onoe Kikugorô III as Kichisaburô (吉三郎)

Fourth: Iwai Hanshirô VI as yaoya Oshichi (八百屋お七)

Play: Sono mukashi koi no edozome (其往昔恋江戸染)

Date: 1^st month of 1833

Theater: Kawarazaki

Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya Shôzô

Title: Flowers of Edo: Five Otokodate (Edo no hana no gonin otoko, 江戸の花五人男)

Actors from left:

First: Sawamura Tosshô I as Gokuin Chiemon (極印千右衛門)

Second: Nakamura Shikan II as Otonai (安の平兵衛)

Third: Bandô Mitsugorô IV as Hotei Ichiemon (布袋市右衛門)

Fourth: Ichikawa Danjûrô VII as Rai Shokuro (雷庄九郎)

Fifth: Onoe Kikugorô III as Karigane Bunshichi (雁金文七)

Play:

Theater:

Date: 1835

Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya Chôzô

NOTE: In this polyptych and in the two following, the background is printed entirely in Prussian blue, a style known as aizuri-e

Title: Flowers of Edo: Five Otokodate (Edo no hana no gonin otoko, 江戸の花五人男)

Actors from left:

First: Sawamura Tosshô I as Gokuin Chiemon (極印千右衛門)

Second: Nakamura Shikan II as Otonai (安の平兵衛)

Third: Bandô Mitsugorô IV as Hotei Ichiemon (布袋市右衛門)

Fourth: Ichikawa Danjûrô VII as Rai Shokuro (雷庄九郎)

Fifth: Onoe Kikugorô III as Karigane Bunshichi (雁金文七)

Play:

Theater:

Date: 1835

Publisher: Edo-ya Matsugorô

NOTE: This is another state of the preceding pentaptych

Actors from left:

First: Ichikawa Ebizô V

Second: Bandô Mitsugorô III

Play:

Theater:

Date: 1832

Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya Chôzô

Five actors as musicians with insets showing their roles in the play Kanadehon Chûshingura

Actors from left:

First: Bandô Shûka I with large drum (taiko, 太鼓); inset is Ichimura Takenojô V as Ôboshi Yuranosuke (大星由良之助)

Second: Arashi Kishisaburô with large hand drum (dai tsuzumi, 大鼓); inset is Bandô Shûka I as koshimoto Okaru (こし元於かる)

Third: Ichikawa Kuzô II with small hand drum (shô tsuzumi, 小鼓); inset is Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Hayano Kanpei (早野勘平)

Fourth: Ichimura Takenojô V chanting (yô, 謡); inset is Arashi Kishisaburô III as Ono Sadakuro (斧定九郎)

Fifth: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII with bamboo flute (fue, 笛); inset is Ichikawa Kuzô II as Takano Moronao (高の師直)

Play: Kanadehon Chûshingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵)

Date: 2^nd month of 1851

Theater: Ichimura

Publisher: Te

Actors from left:

First: Nakamura Kanjaku II (died 1842)

Second: Ichimura Kakitsu

Third: Ichikawa Hakuen II (Ichikawa Danjûrô VII)

Fourth: Iwai Shijaku I

Play:

Theater:

Date:

Publisher:

Actors from left:

First: Sawamura Sôjûrô V as Gokuin Chiemon (極印千右衛門)

Second: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Karigane Bunshichi (雁金文七)

Third: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Hotei Ichiemon (布袋市右衛門)

Fourth: Ichikawa Kuzô II as Otonai (安の平兵衛)

Fifth: Matsumoto Koshirô VI as Rai Shokuro (雷庄九郎)

Play:

Theater:

Date: 1847-1848

Publisher: Jôshû-ya Juzô

Title: 正名江戸っ子揃(?)見立

Actors from left:

First: Ichikawa Kuzô II as Otonai (安の平兵衛)

Second: Ichikawa Ebizô V as Rai Shokuro (雷正九郎)

Third: Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Karigane Bunshichi (雁金文七)

Fourth: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Hotei Ichiemon (布袋市右衛門)

Fifth: Sawamura Tosshô I as Gokuin Chiemon (極印千右衛門)

Play:

Theater:

Date: Not later than 1842

Publisher: Sôshû-ya Yohei

This altered version of the above design was published between 1846 and 1852

Actors from left:

First: Iwai Hanshirô VI as Maidzuru (まいづる)

Second: Ichikawa Ebizô V as Soga no Gorô Tokimune (五郎時宗)

Third: Sawamura Tosshô I as Kudo Saemon (工藤祐つね)

Fourth: Onoe Kikugorô III as Jûrô Sukenari (十郎祐成)

Play: Fuji Ogito Mimasu Soga (富士扇三升曽我)

Date: 1^st month of 1833

Theater: Kawarazaki

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tobei

Title: Teijo misaho kagami (貞女みさほかゞみ or てい女みさほ鏡)

Description: Actor in front of silhouettes of revelers in a greenhouse (brothel)

Actors from left:

First: Onoe Kikugorô III as 鳶ノ佐七

Second: Unidentified actor as Fukuoka Mitsugi

(福岡貢) subduing a foe

Third: Sawamura Sojûrô V Hachirobee (八郎兵衛)

Fourth: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Gengobei (源五兵へ)

Fifth: Sawamura Chojûrô V as Nagoya Sensaburô (名古屋山三)

Play: Godairiki Koi no Fûjime (五大力恋緘)

Theater:

Date: 1846 or earlier

Publisher: Hon-ya Genpachi

Title: Mitate Kinryûzan kaichô no zu (見立金龍山開帳の図, Imaginary Scene of the Display of Secret Image at Kinryûzan Temple)

Actors from left:

Ichimura Uzaemon XII and Onoe Baikô IV

Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII and Onoe Kikugorô III

Matsumoto Koshirô VI as ほり房次 and Sawamura Chôjûrô V as Lady Iwafuji (局岩藤)

Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as 来国俊 and Bandô Shûka I as Ohatsu (おはつ)

Nakamura Utaemon IV as 石☆武助 and Onoe Kikujirô II as Oren (おれん)

Play: Hatsu Sakura Onoe no Iwafuji (初桜尾上岩藤)

Date: 3^rd month of 1847

Theater: Ichimura

Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô

Polyptych title: Azuma hakken shû

Description: Ôban polyptych of actors playing ken

1. Sawamura Sôjûrô V
2. Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII
3. Ichikawa Hirogorô
4. Onoe Baikô IV
5. Bandô Takesaburô V
6. Onoe Kikujirô II
7. Arashi Otokichi
8. Iwai Kumesaburô III
9. Seki Sanjûrô III
10. Arashi Kichisaburô III
11. Ôtani Tomoemon IV
12. Bandô Shûka
13. Arashi Rikan III
14. Nakamura Tsuruzô
15. Nakayama Bungorô II
16. Ichikawa Kodanji IV

Date: 7^th month of 1852

Publisher: Mita-ya Kihachi (left two sheets) and Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei (right two sheets)

Title: Parodies on the Five Elements (Mitate gogyô)

Description: Prince Genji watching beauties in a boat

Date: 1848

Publisher:

Description: Boys parading on the shore at sunset

Date: c. 1840

Publisher: Izumi-ya Ichibei

Title: Modern Checkered Materials for Night Cooling among the Flowers (Tôji ichimatsu hana no yo-suzumi, 當時一松花の夜涼)

Description: Women in checkered robes, each standing before an oversized flower

Date: c. 1848

Publisher: Ki-ya Sôjirô

NOTE: These prints are listed as series number 112 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). However, the continuous nature of the background suggests that these sheets were intended to be placed side-by-side to form a polyptych.