Triptychs of beautiful women,

Part I

 

Please see Untitled set of triptychs of the six crystal rivers for another example of this genre.  Unless otherwise noted, the individual sheets of these triptychs 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.

Series: Feminine Pleasures of the Four Seasons (Shiki no kokoro onna asobi, 四季心女遊)

Robinson: Not listed

Title: Spring

Description: Picking bulrush

Date: 1844-1847

Publisher: Arita-ya Seiemon

 

NOTE: The individual sheets in this triptych and the three following triptychs are each about 10 by 7 inches or 25 by 18 centimeters, a size known as chûban.

Series: Feminine Pleasures of the Four Seasons (Shiki no kokoro onna asobi, 四季心女遊)

Robinson: Not listed

Title: Natsu () Summer

Description: Summer at the Summida River

Date: 1844-1847

Publisher: Arita-ya Seiemon

Series: Feminine Pleasures of the Four Seasons (Shiki no kokoro onna asobi, 四季心女遊)

Robinson: Not listed

Title: Autumn ()

Description:

Date: 1844-1847

Publisher: Arita-ya Seiemon

Series: Feminine Pleasures of the Four Seasons (Shiki no kokoro onna asobi, 四季心女遊)

Robinson: Not listed

Title: Fuyu () Winter

Description:

Date: 1844-1847

Publisher: Arita-ya Seiemon

Series: Pleasures of the Four Seasons (Shiki yûkan, 四季遊観)

Robinson: Not listed

Title: Natsu () Summer

Description: Three bijin in boat under Ryogoku Bridge on the Sumida River

Date: 1843-1847

Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburô

Another state of the above print

Series: Pleasures of the Four Seasons (Shiki yûkan, 四季遊観)

Robinson: Not listed

Title: Autumn

Description: Catching Fireflies in the Cool of the Evening (Suzumi no hotaru)

Date: 1843-1847

Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburô

Another state of the above print

Series: The Four Seasons (Shiki no uchi)

Robinson: 130

Title: Spring Amusements at the Honorable Lower Palace (Go-shita-yashiki haru no asobi)

Description: Ladies among the cherry blossoms in the palace garden, with two on a bench (left), three looking at them (centre), and one leaning on a tree (right)

Date: c. 1850

Publisher: Hamada-ya Tokubei

Title: Gathering Plants in the Palace Garden (Oku niwa no tsumigusa)

Description:

Date: 1847-52

Publisher: Fujiokaya Keijirô

Title: Picture of a Wedding Ceremony (Konrei no zu)

Description: The bride is being helped out of a lacquered palanquin for the marriage ceremony

Date: 1847-50

Publisher: Hayashi-ya Shôgorô

Title:

Description: A young girl breaking a spray of cherry blossoms from a tree

Date: c. 1848

Publisher:

Title: Plum Blossoms at Night (Yoru no ume, 夜の梅)

Description: Three women by an old plum tree at night

Date: 1845-6

Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô

Title: Plum Blossoms under Snow at Night (Tsumoru yoru no ume)

Description:

Date: 1847-52

Publisher: Fujioka-ya Keijirô

Title: None

Description: Three women collecting plum-blossom branches by candlelight

Date:

Publisher: Yorozu-ya Kichibei

Title: Yamino yume

Description: Three women by an old plum tree at night, the robe of the figure on the right is decorated with paulownia leaf crests, and that of the central figure with images of Otsu-e

Date: 1847-1850

Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya Uhei

 

I am grateful to Ward Pieters for locating this image.

Title: The First Plum Blossoms of Spring (Ume no sakigake)

Description:

Date: c. 1848-9

Publisher: Fujioka-ya Keijirô

Series: Five Festivals (Go sekku no uchi)

Robinson: 166

Title: Mutsuki (the new year’s festival)

Description: Women celebrating the new year.  In the center is a large Daruma kite.  Mount Fuji covered with snow, new year pine-tree-decorations, casks of sake wrapped in straw coverings, all indicate the season.  There is a signboard of the Mitsui store advertising sundry goods.

Date: c. 1845

Publisher: Enshû-ya Matabei

Title: The First Time on a Boat in a Miniature Lake (Sensui fune johatsu, 泉水舟乗初)

Description: Women and a child rowing a small boat through a landscaped garden, watching koi in the water

Date: 1847-1848

Publisher: Enshû-ya Matabei

Title: Unread

Description: Courtesan in a robe decorated with a crab being showered with gold coins

Title: Hana-ogi of the Ogi-ya (Ogi-ya uchi Hana-ogi, 扇屋内花')

Description: The courtesan Hana-ogi of the Ogi-ya in a robe decorated with the monk Mongaku Shonin, showered with gold coins by Benzaiten from clouds above

Title: Yatsuhashi of the Nakamanji-ya (Nakamanji-ya uchi Yatsuhashi, 中万字屋内八橋)

Description: The courtesan Yatsuhashi of the Nakamanji-ya in a robe decorated with sea-animals showered with gold coins by Daikoku from clouds above

Date: c. 1832

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tobei

 

NOTE: The gold coins were oval

Title: Notes on Women’s Conduct (Fujin kokoro-e gusa, 婦人こころへ草)

Subtitle: Stretching Fabrics (Orimono, をりもの)

Description: Four serving-women washing sash and stretching it out to dry; with child playing in background

Date: c. 1842

Publisher: Maru-ya Seijirô

 

NOTE: From time to time, the authorities decided ukiyo-e prints were too frivolous.  One such time was in 1842, and many artists temporarily responded by turning their beautiful women into models of the virtue.  Here, serving-women are washing an obi (sash) and stretching it out to dry.  The inscription, printed over a repeating textile pattern, observes that this is better than buying new ones.

Title: Snow, Moon and Flowers in Our Midst (Yuki tsuki hana no uchi, 雪月花の内)

Subtitle: Early Morning Snow (Yuki no ashita, 雪の朝)

Description: Bijin on veranda with snow covered pine trees

Date: 1847-1848

Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô

 

I am grateful to Guy Pepermans for this image.

Title: Three Important Requsities: Young Women, Bonds, Sake (Sanbyoshi musume kenzake, 三拍子娘券酒)

Description: Three beauties playing kitsune ken

Date: 1847-1852

Publisher: Minato-ya Kohei

“Robinson” indicates listing in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson, 1961, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

 

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