Triptychs and diptychs of beautiful women,

Part IV

 

Kuniyoshi - (triptych, moon, soji) Ume 1847-52, Girls playing 'kitsune ken'

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

Kuniyoshi - (triptych) Tôsei Imado no

Title: An Up-to-date Parlor in Imado at Night (Tôsei Imado no yo-zashiki, 當盛今戸の夜ざしき)

Description: Four beauties

Date: 1846-1848 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate state with a solid-colored cartouche. 

Kuniyoshi - (triptych, boat) Cherry Blossom Viewing on the Sumida River (Sumidagawa hanami), 1847 - 1851

Title: Cherry Blossom Viewing on the Sumida River (Sumidagawa hanami, 隅田川花見)

Description: Flower-viewing by the Sumida River in front of the gate of Mimeguri Shrine

Date: 1847 - 1851

Publisher: Enshû-ya Hikobei

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate state of the above design.

Title: Playing in a Garden (Oniwa asobi, おにわ あそび)

Description: Women fishing

Date: 1851 (censors Mera and Watanabe)

Publisher: Sôshû-ya Yohei

 

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image. 

 I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this later edition of the above design. The white rectangles in the right lower corners of two sheets indicate that Izumi-ya Ichibei is a secondary publisher.  The seals of Sôshû-ya Yohei, the original publisher, were crudely replaced with seals of Izumi-ya Ichibei. 

Another state of the above design also published by Izumi-ya Ichibei

Title: Selection of Cut Flowers (Mitate sashibana, 見立さし花)

Description: Women in front of flower arrangements

Date: 1843-1846 (censor Muramatsu Genroku)

Publisher: Iwamoto Kyûbei

 

I am grateful to Paul Steier for this image.

Kuniyoshi - (tb yellow) [girls with flower arrangements], chrysanthemums, (4)1854, pub

A sheet from a later edition of the above design published by Mori-ya Jihei and dated the 4th month of 1854

Kuniyoshi - (lanterns) Melting spring snow, posed by courtesans (12)1855, late

Title: Courtesans with Melting Spring Snow (春の雪解続妾会)

Description: Three women on a balcony

Date: 12th month of 1855

Publisher: Ise-Yoshi

Kuniyoshi - (lanterns) Melting spring snow, posed by courtesans (12)1855

Another state of the above design

Title: Modern Comparison of Beauties (Tôsei bijin awase, 當盛美人合)

Description: Three women visiting a shrine

Date: c. 1830

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tobei

 

NOTE: The center sheet is trimmed and from a different state with green foliage and a green tabletop.

Kuniyoshi - Beauties on a Verandah, (12)1855

Title:

Description: Beauties on a verandah with a hibachi

Date: 12th month of 1855

Publisher:

Title: None

Description: Beauties in boats beside the Ryogoku Bridge watching fireworks

Date: 1849 (censors Kinugasa and Yoshimura)

Publisher: Hon-ya Naoshichi

Kuniyoshi - (triptych) beauties and children on the beach with Enoshima in background, pub

Title: View of Enoshima and Fuji from Shichirigahama (Shichiri gahama yori Enoshima no tokei, 七里ヶ浜より江の島乃遠景)

Description: Beauties and children on the beach with Enoshima Island and Mt. Fuji in the background

Date: 1847-1852

Publisher: Tsuta-ya Umejirô

Title: Untitled, but known as "Enoshima Môde"

Description: Beauties and children on the beach with Enoshima Island and Mt. Fuji in the background

Date: 1842-1846 (censor Fukatsu Ihei)

Publisher: Maru-Ichi

 

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

Another state of the above design.

I am grateful to Frederik Balhuizen and Josta Klaassen for this alternate state published by Yamamoto-ya Heikichi.

Title: A Distant View of the Sumida River (隅田川之遠景)

Description: Three beauties on a terrace overlooking the Sumida River

Date: 12th month of 1854

Publisher: Yamada-ya Shôjirô

 

I am grateful to Lucienne Parkan for this image.

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate state of the above design.

Title: Schematic Map of the Grounds of the Ichirenji Temple and Masaki Inari Shrine (Kôshû Ichirenji chinai Masaki Inari no ryaku, 甲州一蓮寺地内 正木稲荷之略図)

Description: Standing beauties with Mt. Fuji and landscape in the distance

Date: 1846-1848 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Publisher: Izumi-ya Ichibei

 

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

Two sheets from another state of the above design.  The seals of the publisher and censors are the same. 

Title: None

Description: Women and children with silhouettes of buildings

Date: 1843-1850 (censors Mera and Murata on left and center sheets and Muramatsu Genroku on right sheet)

Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke

This triptych, showing the theater of the juggler Yanagawa Icchôsai at Okuyama in Asakusa, uses some of the same woodblocks as the preceding triptych.  The publisher’s and censors’ seals are the same.

Title:

Description: A young lord, attended by court ladies

Date: Intercalary 2nd month of 1852*

Publisher:

Title:

Description: Women in an Iris garden

Date: 5th month of 1852

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

Title: Bustling Night Crowds on the Third Day of the Year of the Monkey (Mitsu no saru ya no nigiwai, 三ツの猿夜の賑ひ)

Description: Women with dogs, a child and New Year shop displays

Date: 1848 (censors Hama and Kinugasa)

Publisher: Ôta-ya Takichi

 

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

Kuniyoshi%20-%20(triptych)%20The%20Inner%20Chamber-first%20koto%20performance%20of%20the%20new%20year%20(Ôoku%20no%20hikizome)

Title: The Inner Chamber–first performance of the new year (Ôoku no hikizome, 御奥の弾初)

Description: An elderly blind musician playing the koto for an audience of beautiful women

Date: 1849-1851 (censors Fuku and Muramatsu)

Publisher: Enshû-ya Matabei

 

I am grateful to Elaine Boatin for supplying information about this triptych.

Kuniyoshi - (triptych) New Year Felicitations (Haru no kotobuki), bijin watching New Year's dancers, 1847-52, pub

Title: New Year Felicitations (Haru no kotobuki, 春の寿)

Description: Women watching New Year’s dancers

Date: 1849-1852 (censors Hama and Magome)

Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke

Kuniyoshi - (triptych) Kabuki performance for women

Title: Theater Performance for Shogun’s Harem (Oooku shibai) of the kabuki play Sugawara denju tenarai kagami (菅原伝授手習鑑) with Nakamura Kanemon IV as Matsu-o-maru (center) and Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Sakura-maru (right)

Date: 1850-1851 (censors Fuku and Muramatsu with shita-uri seal)

Publisher: Tama-ya Sôsuke

 

*An extra month inserted between the 2nd and 3rd months in the same manner as an extra day is added to a leap year

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