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Enomotoya Kichibei (Hōeidō) 榎本屋吉兵衛 (豊栄堂)
Various groups of travelers pass each other in the Ōi River as they journey on the Tōkaidō road between Edo and the Kamigata region of Kyoto and Osaka.
On the right is the troupe of Seki Sanjūrō II (1786–1839). Behind him is a wooden sign that reads “Seki Sanjūrō’s luggage” (関三十郎荷物). They are on their way to Osaka (Naniwa), a city with a vibrant Kabuki theatre scene and Sanjūrō’s birthplace. During his career his was mostly active in Edo but sometimes performed in Osaka as well. In the centre sheet is the actor Asao Tomozō (1797–1851, also known as Yoroku), another Osaka-born actor who performed in both cities. Both actors traveled to Osaka in the autumn of 1826 to perform in the play Genpei no Nunobiki no Taki (Minamoto and Taira, and the Nunobiki Waterfalls) in the 12th month of 1826, which allows us to date this print.
Coming from the opposite direction, in the left sheet, are the actors Onoe Kikugorō III (1784–1849, also known as Ōkawa Hachizō) and his son, Onoe Matsusuke III (1805–1851), who travelled from Osaka to Edo around the same time (he also has a luggage sign).
Kunisada jokingly suggests with this print that the actor troupes crossed paths while making their way across the Ōi River. Special carrier services had to be hired to be able to cross because there was no bridge – frequent flooding prevented a bridge from being built. The triptych might have also served as an advertisement for an upcoming play: in 1827 Kikugorō III played the role of Nippon Daemon in the play Hitori tabi gojūsan tsugi (A Lone Journey along the 53 Stations), which contains a reenactment of an Ōi River crossing.
To add liveliness to this scene, Kunisada added two ‘castle maids’ (jochū), female servants in wealthy samurai households, who are on a pilgrimage to the great shrines of Ise (Ise mairi jochū ren 伊勢参り女中蓮).
A Meeting between Travellers on the Ōi River: a Journey [Descent] to the East [Edo], a Journey ['Ascent'] to Naniwa [Osaka]
Uemura Yohei 上村与兵衛
This multiple-sheet design by Kunisada portrays a Sukeroku play. First performed in the early 18th century, many adaptations of the vendetta tale have appeared on the stage since. The story always centers on Sukeroku, a young hotheaded samurai who searches the Yoshiwara brothel district for his father’s killer, the bearded villain Ikyū. At the same time, the courtesan Agemaki is caught up in a love triangle with the two men. In 1822 in the Kawarasaki Theatre in Edo a version was performed called Sukeroku sakura no futaeobi (Sukeroku, Two Cherry Blossom Sashes), with the kabuki superstar Matsumoto Kōshirō V (1764–1838) in the lead role of Sukeroku. Kōshirō V was actually more famous for his depiction of the story’s villain, Ikyū. However, on this occasion that role belonged to Nakamura Daikichi (1773–1823), in one of his final performances.
Nakamura Daikichi as the Bearded Ikyū (R), Matsumoto Kōshirō V as Hanakawado Sukeroku (MR), Onoe Kikugorō III as Agemaki of the Miuraya Brothel (ML), and Seki Sanjūrō II as Shinbei the Sake Seller (L)
Matsui Eikichi (Kakuhakudō) 松井栄吉 (画博堂)
From a set of at least 15 historical subjects in the vertical diptych format. This format is sometimes referred to as kakemono-e
(hanging scroll pictures), because of its elongated shape that is suitable for hanging scroll mountings.
There are several version of the story that was the basis for this gruesome print, of which the most well-known goes as follows. A wet nurse who cares for a young, sickly princess is order to search for a remedy for the young child, which requires the liver of a newborn baby. Abandoning her own daughter, she ventures out seeking a willing donor.
After months of searching without success, the desperate wet nurse decides to lie in waiting in an old abandoned house on the Adachi Fields in Mutsu Province. It was common for pregnant women to return to their hometown for the birth of their child, and eventually she sees a very young pregnant woman traveling on the path near the house. The wet nurse ambushes her and kills her, only to realise it was her own daught. Her terrible deed drives her mad and she transforms into an onibaba (old demon woman) who, full of rage and sorrow, haunts the Adachi Fields, in search of new victims.
The Lonely House on the Adachi Fields in Mutsu Province
Iseya Kisaburō (Man’yōdō) 伊勢屋喜三郎 (万葉堂)
Stories of Modern Chivalrous Men is a series of 36 designs Yoshitoshi made early on in his career. The set revolves around two rival gambling gangs that clashed in a bloody turf war during the 1840s, in around the area of the Tone River bedding in present-day northeastern Chiba Prefecture.
The two gangleaders (oyabun) were Iioka no Sukegorō (1792–1859) and Sasagawa no Shigezō (1810–1847), their names derived from their turfs around Iioka Beach and the Sasa Riverbed. In the texts written by light novel author Sansantei Arindō (real name Jōno Saigiku, 1832–1902) the two rivals were renamed Sutegorō and Higezō to avoid censorship. Their feud continued for a couple of years until Sukegorō had Shigezō assassinated in 1847, in such an underhanded way that even some of his underlings (kobun) disliked it.
A few of Shigezō's henchmen, including his successor Seiriki no Tomigorō, wanted to retaliate and attacked Sukegorō but failed, and Tomigorō committed suicide when he was surrounded by Sukegorō's men. The conflict seems to have stopped afterwards.
The turf war was on such a large scale that it caught the attention of the Edo populace and reminded them of the large-scale samurai battles of old. It was soon heralded by professional storyteller (kōdanshi) Takarai Kinryō I as the "Suikoden of the Tenpō Era", referring to the extremely popular novel Suikoden (Water Margin) about 108 heroic bandits who defied the corrupt authorities. The Japanese of the Edo period loved rough strongmen with a disregard for authority, and later a kabuki play based on these events was performed in Edo, turning the gambling kingpins and their followers into exaggeratedly strong, rough, yet noble characters. Yoshitoshi followed suit, and depicts them displaying superhuman feats of strength, with the texts emphasizing their chivalry and kind-heartedness.
The text explains how, as a young man, Sukegorō made a name for himself by stopping Ikeda Kaku, a notorious rōnin, from terrorizing a small town during a drunken rampage. The image shows how he subdues an armed Kaku, a renowned swordsman, using his bare hands.
The text also highlights his personal traits: level-headed, reserved, and calculated, Sukegorō values wealth and power above all and has little regard for human life (“has more disdain for human life than for a goose’s feather” inochi o gamō yori mo karonzu 命を鵞毛よりもかろんず).
It also lists his most important followers: Sunosaki Matakichi 洲の崎亦吉, Niimachi Kanta 新待勘太, Oshita (Oshita no Rishichi) 尾下 ([sic] 小下), Kirishima (Kirishima Matsugorō) 桐島, and Sageo (Sageo no Isuke) 下緒. Lastly, it briefly describes the conflict between Sukegorō and his rival Sasagawa no Higezō (Shigezō), and ends with saying that he scaped death three times and died peacefully from old age.
Iioka no Sutegorō
Iseya Kisaburō (Man’yōdō) 伊勢屋喜三郎 (万葉堂)
Stories of Modern Chivalrous Men is a series of 36 designs Yoshitoshi made early on in his career. The set revolves around two rival gambling gangs that clashed in a bloody turf war during the 1840s, in around the area of the Tone River bedding in present-day northeastern Chiba Prefecture.The two gangleaders (oyabun) were Iioka no Sukegorō (1792–1859) and Sasagawa no Shigezō (1810–1847), their names derived from their turfs around Iioka Beach and the Sasa Riverbed. In the texts written by light novel author Sansantei Arindō (real name Jōno Saigiku, 1832–1902) the two rivals were renamed Sutegorō and Higezō to avoid censorship. Their feud continued for a couple of years until Sukegorō had Shigezō assassinated in 1847, in such an underhanded way that even some of his underlings (kobun) disliked it.A few of Shigezō's henchmen, including his successor Seiriki no Tomigorō, wanted to retaliate and attacked Sukegorō but failed, and Tomigorō committed suicide when he was surrounded by Sukegorō's men. The conflict seems to have stopped afterwards.The turf war was on such a large scale that it caught the attention of the Edo populace and reminded them of the large-scale samurai battles of old. It was soon heralded by professional storyteller (kōdanshi) Takarai Kinryō I as the "Suikoden of the Tenpō Era", referring to the extremely popular novel Suikoden (Water Margin) about 108 heroic bandits who defied the corrupt authorities. The Japanese of the Edo period loved rough strongmen with a disregard for authority, and later a kabuki play based on these events was performed in Edo, turning the gambling kingpins and their followers into exaggeratedly strong, rough, yet noble characters. Yoshitoshi followed suit, and depicts them displaying superhuman feats of strength, with the texts emphasizing their chivalry and kind-heartedness.
Here Sasagawa Shigezō (also known as Iwase Shigezō, and here under the pseudonym Kasagawa Higezō) is shown wrestling with a raging bull and is about to give the animal a hard smack on its head. The text sheds some light on Shigezō's life, including the incident with the bull. (see Inscription)
Kasagawa Higezō
Daikokuya Matsuki Heikichi (Shōjudō) 大黒屋松木平吉 (松寿堂)
One of most dramatic accounts of women wielding swords in anger concerns this revenge killing, in which the avengers were the man's two daughters: Miyagino and Shinobu.
Popular accounts of this affair exist in many versions. The factual basis of the story concerns a samurai called Shiga Daishichi, who was on the run because of a misdemeanor and hid in a paddy field, in a village near Shiroishi Banashi in Mutsu Province. By chance, he was observed by a farmer, Yomosaku, who had been transplanting rice seedlings, and in his surprise Shiga Daishichi panicked and killed him. Yomosaku had two daughters, the eldest of whom, Miyagino, had (according to the more romantic versions of the tale) been engaged to be married to a samurai, but through poverty had been sold into prostitution and become a tayū — a sex worker of the highest status — in Yoshiwara, in Edo. The younger daughter, Shinobu, intending to tell her elder sister about her father's death, went to Edo, where she tracked down her sister. They then secretly slipped away from Yoshiwara in order to seek revenge for their father's death, and began to study the martial arts under the guidance of Miyagino's samurai fiancé. They were eager in their pursuit of knowledge, and the result was the vengeance on their father's enemy, Shiga Daishichi, in 1649.
The sisters were determined to carry out the revenge themselves, and the details are largely historical. When the time was ripe, they went through the formalities of asking their daimyō for authorization to avenge the death of their father. There was, in this case, no need for a long search for the enemy, as he had remained in the daimyō's service. The lord accordingly ordered the man to be brought before him to face the girls in combat. Miyagino was armed with a naginata while Shinobu wielded a kusarigama, the sharpened sickle with a long weighted chain. Shiga Daishichi's sword was rendered ineffectual with the aid of the chain, and the other sister finished him off with her naginata.
Stephen Turnbull, The Samurai Swordsman: Master of War, p. 152
The keisei Miyagino and her Little Sister Shinobu
This Dutchman is depicted with a strange grinning face and curly hair. He is dressed in a long robe, decorated with a thorn motif. With one hand, he is holding a drum, while his other hand is supporting a child slung over his shoulder. The child is playfully tugging on a cord attached to the drum.
Such children are often depicted in netsuke and are known as karako, or 'Chinese children'. They are recognisable by the two tufts of hair on either side of their head. Often, as in this example, these tufts of hair are inlaid with soft coral.
For further information on the representation of foreigners in carvings, see our collection story: Hollanders in Japanse snijkunst.
Masatomo was a carver from Ise who was active from 1830 to 1853. He is referenced in e.g. Bushell (1961, p. 258, cat. 627) and Davey (1974, p. 492, cat. 1475).
Dutchman with child on back and drum
This Dutch woman is depicted out on the town, holding her dog on a leash. She is carrying a handbag and wearing a wide hat, from which a piece has broken off. Under her dress, she is wearing high-heeled shoes.
This netsuke comes from the era when Japan reopened to foreigners, beginning around 1860. Before this time, there were no foreign women in Japan. Male Dutch and Chinese traders were the only foreigners permitted to stay, exclusively on small trade posts in Nagasaki.
For further information on the representation of foreigners in carvings, see our collection story: Hollanders in Japanse snijkunst.
The carver, Kazuyuki, is also named in Bushell (1961, p. 238, cat. 359; transcribed as Isshi) and in Jirka-Schmitz (2005, p. 308, cat. 701). In both cases, however, the character 之 is carved differently from this example, possibly by a different carver with the same name.
Dutchman with wide hat and dog
This Dutchman is supporting a child on his back with his right hand, while holding a mask and cloth for the lion dance in his left. The lion dance isn’t typically associated with Dutchmen, but the curl wig and exaggerated facial features are unmistakable characteristics of Dutchmen in netsuke.
Children like the one carried here are often depicted in netsuke and are known as karako, or 'children from the Chinese Tang dynasty'. They symbolise the innocence and joy of youth. They are usually recognisable by the two tufts of hair on either side of their head, although this one has only been given a single tuft, right at the top of his head. He is also holding a drum.
As in this instance, the tufts of hair are often inlaid with soft coral. The eyes of the lion dance mask and the buttons on the cloth are also inlaid with this material.
For further information on the representation of foreigners in carvings, see our collection story: Hollanders in Japanse snijkunst.
Masakazu (正一) was a popular pseudonym amongst netsuke carvers as the characters were easy to carve neatly. This is probably a work by the same Masakazu as is described in Jirka-Schmitz (2005, p. 311), an early 19th-century workshop in Kyoto. The signature is identical to cat. 102, and the lion dance mask is carved in the same style as cat. 302.
Dutchman with child on back and lion dance-mask
This Dutchman is recognisable by his long, curly hair and exaggerated facial features. He is wearing a monk's habit, decorated with a floral pattern. He has a drum slung over his shoulder, the cord of which is dangling down. A child is attached to his knees, pulling at the cord of the drum to bring the instrument within reach.
Such children are often depicted in netsuke and are known as karako, or 'children from the Chinese Tang dynasty'. They symbolise the innocence and joy of youth. They are usually recognisable by the two tufts of hair on either side of their head. Often, like here, these tufts are inlaid with soft coral.
For further information on the representation of foreigners in carvings, see our collection story: Hollanders in Japanse snijkunst.
There are multiple known netsuke-carvers who signed their work with Masatomo (正友). Given the age of the object, it was probably made by the Masatomo active in the late 18th century in the Osaka-Kyoto region (see Davey, 1974, p. 492, cat. 1475).
Dutchman with child at knees and drum
