The Game of Ken, Part I

Prints depicting the game of ken are called ken no e. They may be either prints of actors (yakusha-e), humorous subjects (giga) or occasionally prints of beautiful women (bijinga). All the prints reproduces in this section are either single ôban (about 14 by 10 inches or 36 by 25 centimeters) or composed of more than one ôban sheet placed side-by-side. The images with watermarks and much of the information is courtesy of Prof. Sepp Linhart of the University of Vienna.

	Title: Totetsuru ken hitori keiko Description: Three actors in female roles (onnagata) are playing the game of kitsune-ken Date: 5^th month of 1847 Publisher: Jôshû-ya Kinzô
	Title: Asakusa-ken motouta kaeuta Description: Three actors, one dressed as Daruma, playing ken Date: 2^nd month of 1853 Publisher: Shinagawa-ya Kyûsuke
	Title: Asakusa-ken Description: Three actors playing ken Date: 2^nd month of 1853 Publisher: Sumiyoshi-ya Masagorô
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken) Description: Three actors in the roles of Nippon Amaterasu onkami, Tenjiku Shaka Nyorai and Morokoshi Taiseijin Kôshi playing ken Date: 12^th month of 1848 Publisher: Ômi-ya Heihachi
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken) Description: Three actors playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 Publisher: Ôtaya Takichi
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken) Description: Three actors playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 Publisher: Ôta-ya Takichi
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken) Description: Three actors playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 Publisher: No seal
	Title: Sanbutsu ken Description: Three actors playing ken Date: 8^th month of 1854 Publisher: No seal
	Title: Sanbutsu ken Description: Three actors playing ken Date: 8^th month of 1851 Publisher: No seal
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken) Description: Three actors playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 Publisher: Koga-ya Katsugorô
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken) Description: Three actors playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 Publisher:
	Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken) Description: Three actors in the roles of Morokoshi Kôshi, Tenjiku Shaka and Nippon Daijingû playing ken Date: 12^th month of 1848 Publisher: Fujioka-ya Keijirô
	Title: Yôji gakure no zu Description: Three actors playing ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 Publisher: Idzutsu-ya Shôkichi
	Title: How to practice the sangoku-ken (Sangoku ken o sono mama ni hitori keiko) Description: Actor Nakamura Utaemon IV playing the shamisen Date: 1^st month of 1849 Publisher:
	Title: Description: Three actors playing ken Date: Publisher: Minato-ya Kohei
	Title: Description: Three actors playing ken Date: Publisher: Kobayashi-ya Matsugorô
	Title: Description: Three actors playing ken Date: Publisher: Jôshû-ya Kinzô
	Title: Description: Three actors playing ken Date: Publisher:
	Title: Description: Three actors playing ken Date: Publisher:
	Title: Description: Three actors playing ken Date: Publisher:
	Title: Description: Three actors playing ken Date: Publisher: Hayashi-ya Shôgorô
Title: Three Countries’ Ken (Sangoku ken) Description: Three actors are playing sangoku-ken Date: 1^st month of 1849 Publisher: Idzutsu-ya Shôkichi
Title: Description: Two actors are playing sangoku-ken Date: c. 1850 Publisher: Ota-ya Sakichi (Saya)
Title: Tori no haru shinki ikken tori sangokuken Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV, Ichimura Uzaemon XII and Seki Sanjûrô III playing ken Date: 2^nd month of 1849 Publisher:
Title: Description: Ôban diptych of three actors playing ken Date: Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô
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: Comic Ken (Dôke miburi ken) Description: Ôban triptych of three actors playing ken Date: 1848 Publisher: Kadzusa-ya Iwazô
Title: Twilight Ken (Yûgure ken) Description: Ôban diptych of actors in female roles playing ken during a kabuki musical interlude. The portraits in the two circles are Chûrô Onoe (right) and Meshitsukai Ohatsu (left). The following actors are displayed (from left to right): Onoe: Onoe Kikugorô IV (Baikô) Yadorigi: unknown Ushijima Chikara: unknown Iwafuji: Matsumoto Kôshirô VI Yokobue: Ôtani Tomoemon IV Yomogifu: Seki Sanjûrô III E-awase: Nakayama Genjûrô Ohatsu: Sawamura Sôjûrô V Tokonatsu: unknown Akashi: Ôtani Hiroemon V Date: Third month of 1848 Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô

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