Stories of Wise Women and Faithful Wives,

Part I

(Kenjo reppuden, 賢女烈婦傳)

Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô (伊場屋仙三郎)

c. 1841-1842

 

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 series.

 

 

Title: Anju-hime (安壽姫)

Description: Anju-himem, also known as Princess Anju, carrying water buckets with chidori (wave-birds) flying above her

Robinson: S20.1

 

Another state of the above design with only blue clouds in the text cartouche

 

Title: Kaga no Chiyo (加賀のチ代)

Description: Chiyo of Kaga at a well carrying a bucket

Robinson: S20.2

 

Image courtesy of Richard Illing

 

 

This state of the above print is a less labor-intensive printing, which almost invariably means a later edition.  The wooden block for the orange clouds was not used, and the green shading (bokashi) representing grass 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.

 

Another state with only blue clouds in the text cartouche

 

Title: Giô and Gijo (祗王 祇女)

Description: Shirabyôshi dancers Giô and Ginyo collecting flowers after their retirement as nuns

Robinson: S20.3

 

Another state of the above print

Title: Princess Go-ô (Go-ô-hime, 午王姫)

Description: Princess Go-ô holding a folded paper and a spray of blossoms

Robinson: S20.4

Text: The daughter of Yoshitomo’s vassal, Kamata Masakiyo, returned to the capital from Ushiwaka Oshu and held a memorial service for the 17th anniversary of Yoshitomo’s death at Engakuji Temple. Princess Ushio also visited this temple in secret to pray on her father’s death. In the face of Waka, he recommended that he kill the Taira clan and avenge his father’s death. Leave a good name for your father (義朝の家臣鎌田政清の女なり 牛若奥州より再び都へ帰り 円覚寺において義朝の十七回忌追善供養を執行ひ給ひけり 牛王姫も父の菩提の為に此寺へ参り ひそかに牛若に対面して平家を亡して御父の仇をむくひ給へとすゝめしとか 後平家の館に囚れ牛若の行衛を責とはれしに 白状におよばず 一命すて誠に君父の為にいさぎよき名を残しけり)

 

Another state of the above design

 

 

Title: Hangaku-jo (板額女)

Description: Hangaku-jo wearing a hair band and kimono over armor

Robinson: S20.5

 

 

Another state of the above design

 

Title: The maidservant Hatsu-jo (婢初女)

Description: Hatsu-jo drinking from a dipper at a garden tank in a shower of rain

Robinson: S20.6

 

Another state of the above with red clouds in the text cartouche

 

This is a less labor-intensive printing of the above design, which almost invariably means a later edition.  The woodblock used to print dark blue on the garden tank and in the text cartouche was omitted.

 

Title: Hatsu-hana (初花)

Description: Hatsu-hana in prayer under the Gongen Waterfall which resulted in the cure of her crippled husband

Robinson: S20.7

 

 

Another state of the above design with green clouds in the text cartouche

 

Title: Hotoke-gozen (佛御前)

Description: Hotoke-gozen reading a poem on a soji screen with the aid of a lantern

Robinson: S20.8

 

Another state with orange clouds in text cartouche

 

Another state without grey background in flower painting and blue and grey clouds in the title cartouche

 

Another state without grey background in flower painting, a purple kimono, and blue and black clouds in the title cartouche

 

Another state without grey background in flower painting and blue and green clouds in the title cartouche

 

Title: Hyakuman (百萬)

Description: Hyakuman of Nara, dancing with a fan and pulling a small cart full of toys, watched by her bewildered child

Robinson: S20.9

 

 

Title: Izumi-shikibu (和泉式部)

Description: Izumi-shikibu on a visit to Kamo Shrine

Robinson: S20.10

 

“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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