Iwami Jūtarō Hōsuke (岩見重太郎包輔) from the series<i> Tales of the Floating World in Eastern Brocade </i>(<i>Azuma nishiki ukiyo kōdan</i> - 東錦浮世稿談)

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) (artist 04/30/1839 – 06/09/1892)

Iwami Jūtarō Hōsuke (岩見重太郎包輔) from the series Tales of the Floating World in Eastern Brocade (Azuma nishiki ukiyo kōdan - 東錦浮世稿談)

Print


04/1867
9.75 in x 14 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Ikkaisai Yoshitoshi ga
(一魁斎芳年画)
Publisher: Sanoya Tomigorō (Marks 448 - seal 25-157)
Date-censor seal: 1867, 10th month and aratame
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
National Institute of Japanese Literature "Rough tales of the floating world told on eastern brocades (Azuma nishiki ukiyo kōdan) is a complex series in its content and in the interpretation of the meaning of the series title. In the past, little effort has been made to further our understanding of the term kōdan (稿談) in the title which, when written with different homophonic characters, refers to the tradition of story telling (講談). 'Story telling' is a central element in the set, since the series title in each print is followed by the name of a well-known raconteur (kōdan-shi) from the late Edo and early Meiji periods. The character used for in the title kōdan connotes 'rough', 'sketchy' or 'unpolished', as in a 'rough manuscript' or 'rough version'."

Quoted from: Yoshitoshi: Masterpieces from the Ed Freis Collection, page 89.

"This set was issued from 9/1867-2/1868. Forty-five designs from this series are presently known... The set is unusual for its collaboration between seven different publishers. It is quite rare and was never re-published." (Ibid.) [The choice of bold type is ours.]

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The text is by Kanagaki Robun (仮名垣魯文: 1829-94). This author's words are also found on prints by two other artists in the Lyon Collection: Yoshiiku and Kunisada.

The text reads: "是此一個の大剛勇士父兄の仇をむくいんと廻国修行の武者わらぢ飛まゆく駒の足がきをはやめ。光陰すぎたり古郷とほき彼みちのくの二本松にはからずうけし禍の罪ならぬ身を言解どもとくによしなき縛めの縄引ちぎり獄舎をやぶりて竟に天日を見る時を得たり 填詞 仮名垣魯文記"
Sanoya Tomigorō (佐野屋富五郎) (publisher)
Kanagaki Robun (仮名垣魯文) (author)