Warrior triptychs
1843
Title: In Minamoto’s
Residence the Earth Spider Appears as a Monster (Minamoto no Yorimitsu-kô no yakata ni tsuchigumo
yôkai o nasu zu, 源頼光公館土蜘作妖怪圖) Description: The Earth Spider
(right) conjures up demons at the mansion of Minamoto no Raikô
(Minamoto no Yorimitsu) (right), who lies sick in
bed. Two of his bodyguards, Watanabe no Tsuna and
Sakata no Kintoki, play go (centre), while Urabe no Suetake (right) and Usui no Tadamitsu
(left) look towards the procession of spirits in the background Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô Date: 8th
month of 1843 Robinson: T128 NOTE: This is the
first edition of the triptych that got Kuniyoshi into trouble with the
authorities. It bears no censor’s seal
and pokes fun at the government and the censors. The daimyo Mizuno Tadakuni (1794-1851) was
the force behind the censorship known as the “Tenpô
reforms”. He was the roju (chief
councilor) to the shogun, and is
caricatured in this triptych as the Earth Spider casting his evil influence
over the shogun, who is represented by the sleeping figure of Yorimitsu. |
This is the second edition printed from newly carved
woodblocks. Kuniyoshi’s signature and
the publisher’s seal appear only on the left-hand sheet. |
This is the third edition, which is crudely carved. There is no white divide between the realm
of the demons and the green floor of Yorimitsu’s
mansion. |
Ink and color paintings generally considered to
be by Kuniyoshi |
This unsigned woodblock
print is a crudely drawn copy of Kuniyoshi’s design. The artist is unknown, and it is smaller
than the original, measuring 6 11/16 x 14 1/4 inches (17 x 36.2 cm). |
“Robinson” refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell
University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement. CLICK
HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN PAGE |