Museum für Asiatische Kunst
Di 8. Juni - So 5. September 2010

Leben in den drei Metropolen.
Kyoto, Osaka, Edo

Während der rund zweihundertfünfzig Jahre währenden Friedenszeit (1600-1868), zu welcher die Shogune der Familie Tokugawa die Geschicke in Japan lenkten, entwickelten sich die drei Städte Kyoto, Osaka und Edo (heute: Tokyo) zu Metropolen.
(...)
Im Mittelpunkt der Schau steht eine lange Querrolle, auf der das bunte Leben und die Vielfalt der Waren in einer der Haupteinkaufsstraßen der Stadt zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts, einer Zeit wirtschaftlicher Blüte, illustriert sind.
(...)
Szenen aus den Vergnügungsvierteln und Bilder von Handwerkern ergänzen das Bild Edos. Andere Bilder zeigen berühmte Orte in Osaka und zwei Querrollen, die hier erstmals präsentiert werden, veranschaulichen detailreich die Festprozession eines wichtigen Schreins in Kyoto.

For further informtion click here

Katsukawa Shunkō II (Shunsen)
(1762 - c.1830)
Changed his name around 1820 from Shunsen to Shunko II.
Active as ukiyo-e artist until the late 1820's.

The print depicts a story from the Chinese novel "Suikoden" (Shuihu zhuan in Chinese).
Gyôja Bushô of Seika-ken killing a tiger with his bare hands at the hill of Keiyô.

Signature: Shunko ga
Publisher: Maru-ya Jimpachi
Date: 1820's
Censor's seal: kiwame
Dimension: chuban

Kuniyoshi's famous version from 1827-1830:



The complete set of Kuniyoshi's "108 Suikoden" you can find here.

Hokuei
(active c.1824-1837)

The Onnagata actor Nakamura Matsue III as the courtesan Nami Oyogi ("swimming/floating wave") and her Kamuro (maid).

Signature: Shunkosai Hokuei
Publisher: Honya Seibei
Performed at the Naka Theatre 9/1831
Dimension: oban (right sheet of a diptych)
Lit.: Hendrick Lühl "Geishas und Kurtisanen", Harenberg 1983, p.185

Sadahiro
(active after 1850)

Eiban / mameban sheets.

I have bought the prints one by one so it is the hell of a puzzle to decide which of them belong together.
By comparing the seals, colours and the wormholes you can guess which ones may be a diptych or even a triptych.
But unless you have not found a comparable print or you have read the Kanji (I cannot read it) it is very hard to get them into the right order.
I would be thankfull for any help.

Hirosada
(active 1820 - 1860)

Signature: Hirosada
Actor / roles: (left) Jitsukawa Enzaburô I as Hata no Kawakatsu (right) Ichikawa Ebizo V as Ono no Imoko
Play: Shitenoji Garan Kagami performed at the Naka Theatre 3/1849
Publisher: ?
Foramt: chuban diptych

unknown artist

c. 1860's

8 (from 10) eiban sheets approx 11 x 7,5 cm

Incredible how much work was put into these little prints. It is a deluxe edition that shows all skills of Osaka's elaborate woodblock printing craftsmanship; blindprinting, black laquer printing for the hair, silverish mica in the sky and gold pigments even for the smallest details.

Shigeharu
(1803-1853 / active after 1821)

Nakamura Utaemon III (Shikan I) as farmer Gosaku (really Ishikawa Goemon)

Signature: Ryusai Shigeharu ga
Carver's seal: Surimono Hori Kasuke
Publisher: Hon'ya Seishichi (?)
Play: Keisei setsugekka performed at the Naka Theatre 1/1830
Right oban sheet of a diptychon, left sheet by Hokushu

A complete description of the diptychon and a translation of the poems can be found in:
Hendrick Lühl "Osaka-Holzschnitte", Harenberg, 1982, p.99f
and
C. Andrew Gerstle "Kabuki Heroes", The British Museum Press, 2005, pl.270, p.287

Yoshiyuki
(1835-1879; active circa 1856-1875)

Actor as Lady Tokiwa (mother of the great general Minamoto no Yoshitsune)

Signature: Yoshiyuki (Rokkaen)
Date: ?

Munehiro
(Active c.1848-67)

Signature: Munehiro
Actor / role: ?
Date: ?

Enjaku
(active c. 1856-1866)

Ichikawa Yonezo III as Ishii Genzo

Play: Katakiuchi ukiki no kameyama
performed at the Inari Theatre 3/1860
Format / edition: chuban, standard
Lit.: John Fiorillo / Hendrick Lühl "Enjaku - an Osaka master of the deluxe print"
Andon, by Society for Japanese Arts, 2006, Netherlands pl. 19, p.59+88

You can purchase the catalogue here.

Sadahiro
(active after 1850)

mameban deluxe triptych.each approx. 8 x 11 cm, cut from one sheet and glued together in an album.

Kunimasu
(active 1834-52)

left: Ichikawa Ebizo V as Banzuin Chobei
right: Okawa Hashizo (Onoe Kikugoro III) as Hirai Gonpachi

Signature: Kunimasu
Publisher: Handa Kichi
Play: Sangoku Daiichi Nochi no Kusemono perormed Kado Theatre 8/1848
Lit.: Ikedda Bunko, Vol.III, no.154