Sixteen Wonderful Considerations of Profit

(Myôdensu jûroku rikan, 妙でん老十六利勘)

Publisher: Enshû-ya Matabei

c. 1845

A rakan is Buddhist disciple of exceptional merit. This series of sixteen numbered prints pairs beautiful women with rakan. It is listed as number 103 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). The prints are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.

	Number: 1 Rakan: Yokuren sonja making fire with a finger and holding a rake Beauty: Woman kneeling in front of a box covered with a checkered cloth Consideration: Rakan struggled with greed Schaap: 11.1
	Number: 2 Rakan: Gaman sonja holding a burning candle from which a dragon emerges Beauty: A barefooted woman with a pipe bending towards a basket containing fish and bamboo. There are two books on the floor Consideration: Rakan struggled with stubbornness Schaap: 11.2
	Number: 3 Rakan: Karikosu sonja holding an incense burner in front of him Beauty: A seated woman leaning backwards and covering her mouth while reading a letter Consideration: Rakan struggled with debts Schaap: 11.3
	Number: 4 Rakan: Ogora sonja seated and working with an abacus Beauty: A standing woman, wiping her hands on a towel while looking at lacquered dinnerware Consideration: Rakan struggled with wastefulness Schaap: 11.4
	Number: 5 Rakan: Hinsuro sonja seated holding a jewel in his right hand Beauty: A standing beauty with a long untied obi Consideration: Rakan struggled with poverty Schaap: 11.5
	Another stat of the above design
	Number: 6 Rakan: Kayou sonja seated with a stick and an attendant behind him Beauty: A woman standing on geta (wooden sandals) looking to the right with an inscribed lantern on the floor Schaap: 11.6
	Number: 7 Rakan: Furuna sonja holding up a tablet Beauty: A beauty kneeling in front of a brazier with a cat in the layers of her kimono and a book and a pipe on the ground next to her Schaap: 11.7
	Number: 8 Rakan: Taben sonja seated holding up a pair of tongs Beauty: A seated woman in a blue robe suckling a child with a toy in front of her on the floor Schaap: 11.8
	Another state of the above design
	Number: 9 Rakan: Asane sonja seated fanning himself Beauty: A woman making her toilette with a cat standing close to her Schaap: 11.9
	Number: 10 Rakan: Shokuran sonja holding up a miniature shrine Beauty: A woman standing in front of an opened box whilst looking over her left shoulder Consideration: Rakan struggled with gluttony Schaap: 11.10
	This is another state of the above print. A print such as this, which is mostly or entirely printed in blue, is called an azuri-e.
	Number: 11 Rakan: Bonnô sonja, the rakan of carnal desire, seated burning a scroll Beauty: A standing beauty holding a piece of cloth in her mouth Schaap: 11.11
	Another state of the above design
	Number: 12 Rakan: Inga sonja seated in front of a spinning wheel Beauty: A woman in a red and brown kimono dancing with her arms in the air Schaap: 11.12
	I am grateful to Ward Pieters for locating this alternate state of the above print.
	Number: 13 Rakan: Shôridai sonja seated blowing bubbles through a pipe Beauty: A standing woman holding a bottle while preparing a meal Schaap: 11.13
	Number: 14 Rakan: Tanki sonja seated with a bucket behind him holding a book on his lap and a brush in his mouth Beauty: A seated woman in a striped kimono holding a long pipe on her lap Schaap: 11.14
	Number: 15 Rakan: Kinnara sonja seated holding up a wooden hobbyhorse Beauty: A woman kneeling by a shôgi (Japanese chess) game and a tea kettle Schaap: 11.15
	Number: 16 Rakan: Mayô sonja holding a box with two miniature statues Beauty: A beauty kneeling in front of a chest of drawers with a mirror Schaap: 11.16

“Schaap” refers to listing in Heroes and Ghosts: Japanese Prints by Kuniyoshi by Robert Schaap (Hotei Publishing, Leiden, 1998).

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