Posts by Richard Kruml:
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
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A triptych showing Shoguntaro Taira Yoshikado (centre), his sister Takiyasha-hime (left), and Yoshikado’s retainer, Iga Jutaro, watching magic toads wrestling. Huge toads loom above them. Shogun Taro Yoshikado mikata wo atsumen ga tame etc. Takiyasha-hime was known for her toad magic which she had gained from a scroll containing their secrets given to her by her brother. Published by Tsuru-ya Kiyemon, 1842-3. Robinson T.89.
Fine impression, colour and condition. Signed Ichiyusai and Chooro Kuniyoshi ga.
Status: Available
Utagawa YOSHITSUYA (1822-1866)
Click here to view image full size. A triptych with title Taiheike Yakiyama-Goye no zue, “Picture of the Slope of Burning Mountain in the Taiheiki.” Shows the Japanese Daimyo Sato Masakiyo (Kato Kiyomasa), who was a leading general in Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s invasion of Korea, far left, and his men encountering a monstrous serpent surrounded by […]
Katsukawa SHUN’EI (1762-1819)
Click here to view image full size. Shows the half-Chinese, half-Japanese hero Watonai overcomes a man-eating tiger in China by using a charm from the Ise Shrine. He holds a post with the characters reading Daijinga, “Grand Shrine” used in the inner and outer shrines at Ise. Published by Wakasaya Yoichi (Jakurindo), c 1810. Rare. […]
Torii KIYONOBU I (1664-1729)
Click here to view image full size. A large sumi oban showing a couple in flagrante. These prints were normally issued in sets of twelve and would only have had the signature on the first sheet. Published c 1704-1711. Provenance: Ex Kiyoshi Shibui collection. Very good impression. Slight edge soil and centre fold […]
Keisai EISEN (1790-1848)
Click here to view image full size. An amorous couple beside a screen decorated with a large chrysanthemum. From a set of twelve prints Keisei higo, “Secret Words of a Courtesan” published c 1822-25. Although coming under the heading of shunga, each print is an abuna-e design, without any graphic detail. Shows a courtesan with […]
Hosoda EISHI (1756-1829)
Click here to view image full size. Two beauties examining tanzaku poetry cards from a set Ukiyo Genji hakkei, “Eight Views of Genji in the Floating World.” The designs stand alone but also form diptychs. This series compares scenes from the famous Tale of Genji novel written by the Lady Murasaki in the early 11th […]
Katsushika HOKUSAI (1760-1849)
Click here to view image full size. A sheet of original studies, sumi on thin paper, 10.5 x 15 in; 26.6 x 38 cms. Of particular interest and importance is the self-portrait in the upper right, This is another version of the famous self-portrait at the age of 83 (1842) sent to his publisher. Illustrated […]
Tsukioka YOSHITOSHI (1839-1892)
Click here to view image full size. Omota-so: Tempo nenkan Fukagawa karuko no fuzoku, “Looking Weighed-Down: The Appearance of a Waitress at Fukagawa in the Tempo Era [1830-1844].” Shows the waitress carrying a portable wooden table with food to a geisha party from a set Thirty-two Aspects of Women published by Tsunashima Kamekichi, 1888. The […]
Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1864)
Click here to view image full size. An original hanshita-e (preparatory drawing) for a triptych showing, from the left, the actor Bando Takesaburo I as Nagoya Sanza, Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as the Shinzo (“courtesan’s apprentice”), and Nakamura Fukusuke I as Fuwa Banzaemon. This is actually from the dance Sanpukutsui Kabuki no irodori performed at the […]
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. A fine large original drawing, sumi on thin paper, 12 x 18.5 in; 30.4 x 47 cms. Shows battling women holding what appear to be wooden swords. Two seals at the bottom which appear to be the publisher Honmo who published 1855-56. Provenance: Ex collection Dr. Julius Kurth […]
Shunbaisai HOKUEI (Active 1824-1837)
Click here to view image full size. Shows the actor Arashi Rikan II as the yako Koman holding a shakuhachi and posed within a wooden frame in the play Sugata kurabe deiri no minato, “Comparison of Fighting Figures at the Harbour.” Performed in 1834 at the Naka Theatre, Osaka. A yako was a chivalrous servant, […]
Utagawa TOYOMARU (SHUNRO II) (Act. 1785-1797)
Click here to view image full size. The actor Onoe Matsusuke, probably in the role of Matsuo-maru in the play Sugawara denju tenarai kagami. Published c 1780s by Igaya Kan’emon (Bunkido). Fine impression, colour, and condition. Signed Toyomaru ga. Status: Available
Okumura MASANOBU (1686-1764)
Click here to view image full size. One of the most influential and innovative print designers, publishers and painters. He is also credited with inventing the hashira-e as well as being the first to use multiple-block printing. A wide hashira-e (habahiro hashira-e, 24 x 6 in; 61 x 15 cms) showing the actor Sanogawa Ichimatsu […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Hida, kago-watashi, “Basket Ropeway in Hida [Province]” from a set of 69 prints [Dai Nihon] Rokujuyoshi meisho zue, “Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces [of Japan]” published by Koshihei between 1853 and 1856, this being 1853. Originating in China, Japan and northern India, travellers could cross deep ravines […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE II (1826-1869)
Click here to view image full size. A view of a smoking Mt Asama, Shinano Province, from Shokoku meisho hyakkei, the “One Hundred Views of Famous Places in the Provinces.” Mt Asama is an active volcano which violently erupted in 1108. Subsequently there was another eruption in 1783 and since then there have been minor […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Izumo, taisha Hotohoto no zu, “Izuma [Province], Hotohoto Festival at Izumo Shrine.” Shows pilgrims to the oldest Shinto shrine in Japan. A heavy mist scene with the torii gate seen to the right. Every year from the 11th to the 17th day of the 10th lunar month (usually […]
ANONYMOUS (Mid to late 19th century)
Click here to view image full size. A fine original painting in muted tones on silk, 43.75 x 16.5 in; 111.2 x 41.9 cms. Shows a vengeful female ghost (yurei) emanating from a ball of fire. She wears a plain white kyokatabira (funeral robe), has long unkept hair and her claw-like hand clutches her skeletal […]
Hishikawa MOROSHIGE (FL. 1684-1704)
Click here to view image full size. An original painting showing a high-ranking samurai household at leisure. Moroshige was the senior pupil of Hishikawa Moronobu, and, it is said, was the father of Furuyama Moromasa. Sumi and full colour with gold additions on paper. 11.5 x 19 in; 29 x 48.25 cms. This is most […]
KYOJINSAI (Fl. c 1789-1801)
Click here to view image full size. A large and fine original painting by an artist whom I am unable to find in the literature; possibly a pseudonym. Shows a high-ranking courtesan wearing a sumptuous kimono under cherry blossom. Full colour on paper, 49.25 x 20 in; 125 x 51 cms. The calligraphy above is […]
Utagawa TOYOKUNI I (1769-1825)
Click here to view image full size. A surimono showing the actor Ichikawa Danjuro II as Soga no Goro Tokimune holding the giant arrow prior to sharpening it on the large wetstone from the play Yanone Goro. From a series of surimono that paid tribute to the various generations of the Danjuro family. There are […]
Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1865)
Click here to view image full size. A surimono showing the actor Ichikawa Danjuro VII in the role of Soga no Goro holding a print of the shichifukujin in the takarabune. A parody of the Yanone no Goro story: Yanone means “arrowhead” and is one of the eighteen famous plays in the Danjuro canon, belonging […]
Kitagawa UTAMARO (1753-1806)
Click here to view image full size. The lovers Hinadori and Kuganosuke from a series of half-length portraits of pairs of lovers featured in joruri love-suicide plays. (Joruri were bunraku puppet dramas). Jitsu kurabe iro no minakami, “True Feelings Compared: The Founts of Love.” At the height of their popularity the Japanese government cracked down […]
Attributed to Suzuki HARUSHIGE (Shiba KOKAN 1747-1818)
Click here to view image full size. A winter scene with a young courtesan on an engawa gazing at an upturned ladle resting in a water basin formed from a hollow tree trunk. Behind her a young beauty peers out through the shoji. The scene calls to mind the Bell of Damnation (Muken no kane) […]
Tsukioka YOSHITOSHI (1839-1892)
Click here to view image full size. Okigatsuki-so: Meiji nenken saikyo nakai no fuzoku, “Looking Capable: The Appearance of a Kyoto Waitress in the Meiji Era [1867-1912].” Shows the waitress of a Kyoto geisha house whose job was to act as a go-between for customer and geisha. From a set Thirty-two Aspects of Women published […]
Tsukioka YOSHITOSHI (1839-1892)
Click here to view image full size. Samu-so: Tempo nenkan Fukagawa Nakamachi geisha fuzoku, “Looking Frozen: The Appearance of a Fukagawa Nakamachi Geisha in the Tempo Era [1830-1844].” Shows a beauty caught in a snowstorm, her umbrella laden with snow from a set Thirty-two Aspects of Women published by Tsunashima Kamekichi, 1888. The set depicts […]
Ichiryusai HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Fuchu from The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido published by Marusei, Maruya Seijiro, 1847-52. Called the Reisho Tokaido because of the angular style of Kanji used. Travellers coming and going at the entrance to the station. One of the best designs from the set. Provenance: Ex Hayashi collection […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Omi, Biwako Ishiyamadera, “Ishiyama Temple and Lake Biwa in Omi [Province].”From a set of 69 prints [Dai Nihon] Rokujuyoshi meisho zue, “Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces [of Japan]” published by Koshihei between 1853 and 1856, this being 1853. Moonlight on Lake Biwa is one of the iconic […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Mimasaka, Yamabushidani, “Mimasaka [Province], Yamabushi Valley.” Travellers caught in heavy wind and rain in the valley. Hiroshige II also produced an excellent version of this design. From a set of 69 prints [Dai Nihon] Rokujuyoshi meisho zue, “Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces [of Japan]” published by b […]
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. Oiwa and her ghost: Yondaime Ichikawa Kodanji IV no Oiwa bokon, “The Spirit of Oiwa Performed by Ichikawa Kodanji IV.” Probably in the play Atari mimasu yotsuya no kikigaki, performed at the Kawarasaki Theatre, 1848. The popular story has many versions, the gist being that Oiwa’s husband, Kamiya […]
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. Inuyama Dosetsu, one of the eight dog heroes, enveloped in a conflagration. The heroes represent a Confucian ideal or Buddhist regulation and meet various adversaries in the epic Nanso satomi hakkenden, “Biography of the Eight Dogs” written by Takizawa Bakin between 1814 and 1842. Dosetsu is gifted with […]
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. A triptych showing the famous battle on Gojo Bridge. The story relates how Benkei only needs one more blade to add to the 999 he has wrenched from samurai attempting to cross the bridge in order to fashion an invincible weapon. He meets Ushiwaka Maru (Minamoto no Yoshitsune’s […]
Toyohara KUNICHIKA (1835-1900)
Click here to view image full size. The actor Nakamura Shikan IV as Ishikawa Hachizaemon in the play Chuko musashi no abumi staged at the Nakamura-za Theatre in 4/1869. From a set of at least 22 prints published by Gusokuya Kahei, 1869. Kunichika was a hack artist who nevertheless produced some fine triptychs (horizontal and […]
Shunchosai HOKUSHU (Active 1822-32)
Click here to view image full size. Onoe Kikugoro III as the ghost of Oiwa in Irohagana yotsuya kaidan, “Ghost Story of Yotsuya.” Performed at the Kado Theatre, 1/1826. Probably the best known Japanese ghost story and has been made into a number of films. Tamiya Iemon, a masterless samurai, murders the wife he has […]
Shunkosai HOKUEI (FL. 1829-1837)
Click here to view image full size. A dramatic diptych showing the actor Iwai Shijaku I as Lady Osuma shining her lantern on the actor Bando Jutaro as Sasaya Hanbei from the play Honobonoto ura no asagiri, “Daybreak Hidden on the Bay by Morning Fog.” A revenge drama performed at the Naka no Shibai, Osaka, […]
Katsushika HOKUSAI (1760-1849)
Click here to view image full size. Hokusai’s interpretation of a poem by Onakatomi no Yoshinobu Ason (921-991). From an unfinished set: Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki, “Pictures of One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse.” The poems are from an anthology Hyakunin isshu, “One Hundred People, One Poem Each” compiled […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Nihonbashi yukibare, “The Nihon Bridge, Clear Weather After Snow.” From the set Meisho Edo hyakkei, “One Hundred Views of Edo.” The set published by Uoya Eikichi 1856-58 (this being 1856). The set comprises 118 prints by Hiroshige and another by Hiroshige II. However, three prints are dated 10/1858, […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Iyo Province, Saijo. From a set of 69 prints [Dai Nihon] Rokujuyoshu meisho zue, “Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces [of Japan]” published by Koshihei between 1853 and 1856, this being 1853. A large furled sail in the foreground with Saiju village on the water’s edge. Beyond is […]
Ikeda EISEN (1790-1848)
Click here to view image full size. Two beauties in front of a mirror, Ada ni torikumite, “Grudge Match” from a set Ukiyo shiju hatte, “Forty-eight Habits of the Floating World.” This was a popular title for sets of prints – especially during the next thirty years. The sub-titles are quite obtuse, whereas in later […]
Kikugawa EIZAN (1787-1867)
Click here to view image full size. An early complete 5-sheet (pentaptych) design being a mitate-e of a daimyo’s procession along Kugenuma beach with Enoshima island and Mt. Fuji in the background. Harugasumi hana iki retsu, “Journey in the Spring Mist.” The regional feudal lords (daimyo) were required every alternative year to travel to the […]
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. Chapter 32: Umegaye, “Plum brach” from an o-tanzaku set: Buyu nazorae Genji, “Heroic Comparisons for the Chapters of Genji.” Shows the Minamoto samurai Kajiwara Genda Kagesuye (1162-1200) fighting at Ikura-no-mori during the Genpai wars between the Taira and Minomoto clans. He has a plum branch stuck in his […]