KUNICHIKA • 早期作品 • 歌舞伎 • 日本の木版画 • 浮世絵 - Japan - Edo Period (1600-1868)
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Original Toyohara Kunichika Nishiki-e woodblock print from his early period, an Ōban diptych (two sheets ca. 36 × 24.5 cm each) dating to the Edo period (ca. 1860s), with good colour and handling marks, signed Kunichika ga and published by Hiranoya.
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Description from the seller
** デザインは国周の初期時代に属し、その点にも興味深さがある。若き作者はまだ師の作法を全て踏襲しており、人物タイプ、密な textile patterning（テキスタイルの密かな柄）や、障子と縁側を取り入れた室内の舞台設定は、純粋に豊国三世派である。これらの時代の版画は、名を成した江戸の役者絵の最後の巨匠と最も重要な後継者との直接の継承を記録している。**
Artist: Toyohara Kunichika (豊原国周, 1835–1900)
Title: Sawamura Tanosuke III as the nun Seigen (清玄) and Kawarazaki Gonjūrō I as Yoshida Matsuwaka (吉田松若), from Sumidagawa Hana no Goshozome (隅田川花御所染), "Onna Seigen"
Format: Ōban diptych — two sheets, each ca. 36 × 24.5 cm
Technique: Nishiki-e (full-colour woodblock print)
Date: Edo period, ca. 1860s (Bunkyū–Keiō) — see notes
Signature: 國周画 Kunichika ga in red toshidama-style cartouche, both sheets
Publisher: Hiranoya (平のや), seal both sheets
Carver: 彫多七 Hori Tashichi, left sheet
Seals: Round censor/aratame seal, both sheets
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Condition: Good impression with good colour throughout. The paper is firm with a subtle texture. Minor soiling; Minor insect holes. otherwise clean and presentable. Please refer to the images for full detail
----------------------------------------------------------------------
About the print
Onna Seigen inverts one of kabuki's most durable plots. Hanako no Mae takes the tonsure as the nun Seigen when her betrothed, Yoshida Matsuwakamaru, is believed dead — then meets him again, breaks her vows, and is destroyed by a passion she cannot renounce. It was a signature onnagata vehicle, and Sawamura Tanosuke III, the great tragic onnagata of the 1860s, made the role his own.
Kunichika stages the two across the sheets as separation rather than confrontation. At right, Matsuwaka stands in a blue haori over boldly checked, flower-strewn hakama, sword at his hip, drawing back a discarded robe and glancing over his shoulder. At left, Seigen lies sprawled on a veranda edge in monastic grey, rosary hanging loose at her breast, eyes half-closed — a pair of butterflies drifting above her in the dark ground. Given the play, the reading is almost certainly the hermitage scene in which Seigen is united with Matsuwaka in a dream: the butterflies are the conventional signal that what we are watching is not happening.
Seller's Story
I've been collecting Japanese woodblock prints for quite a while now — everything from classic ukiyo-e to shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga. What started as a personal passion eventually turned into something more, and these days I source prints from auctions, galleries, and private collections across Japan and Europe.
With growing worldwide interest in Japanese woodblock prints, gallery prices have been climbing steadily. My goal is simple: offer high-quality, authentic prints at reasonable prices. I'm picky about what I sell — I look for pieces that have been stored properly, kept flat, and are free from serious foxing, stains, or damage.
I'm based in Germany, which means EU buyers won't deal with any import duties or taxes. For US buyers, original artworks under HS code 9702 are duty-free as well. And wherever you are, I pack everything carefully with multiple layers of protection so your print arrives safely.
If you have questions about a piece, just reach out. You will get access to contact me once you've won an item from my lots.
** デザインは国周の初期時代に属し、その点にも興味深さがある。若き作者はまだ師の作法を全て踏襲しており、人物タイプ、密な textile patterning（テキスタイルの密かな柄）や、障子と縁側を取り入れた室内の舞台設定は、純粋に豊国三世派である。これらの時代の版画は、名を成した江戸の役者絵の最後の巨匠と最も重要な後継者との直接の継承を記録している。**
Artist: Toyohara Kunichika (豊原国周, 1835–1900)
Title: Sawamura Tanosuke III as the nun Seigen (清玄) and Kawarazaki Gonjūrō I as Yoshida Matsuwaka (吉田松若), from Sumidagawa Hana no Goshozome (隅田川花御所染), "Onna Seigen"
Format: Ōban diptych — two sheets, each ca. 36 × 24.5 cm
Technique: Nishiki-e (full-colour woodblock print)
Date: Edo period, ca. 1860s (Bunkyū–Keiō) — see notes
Signature: 國周画 Kunichika ga in red toshidama-style cartouche, both sheets
Publisher: Hiranoya (平のや), seal both sheets
Carver: 彫多七 Hori Tashichi, left sheet
Seals: Round censor/aratame seal, both sheets
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Condition: Good impression with good colour throughout. The paper is firm with a subtle texture. Minor soiling; Minor insect holes. otherwise clean and presentable. Please refer to the images for full detail
----------------------------------------------------------------------
About the print
Onna Seigen inverts one of kabuki's most durable plots. Hanako no Mae takes the tonsure as the nun Seigen when her betrothed, Yoshida Matsuwakamaru, is believed dead — then meets him again, breaks her vows, and is destroyed by a passion she cannot renounce. It was a signature onnagata vehicle, and Sawamura Tanosuke III, the great tragic onnagata of the 1860s, made the role his own.
Kunichika stages the two across the sheets as separation rather than confrontation. At right, Matsuwaka stands in a blue haori over boldly checked, flower-strewn hakama, sword at his hip, drawing back a discarded robe and glancing over his shoulder. At left, Seigen lies sprawled on a veranda edge in monastic grey, rosary hanging loose at her breast, eyes half-closed — a pair of butterflies drifting above her in the dark ground. Given the play, the reading is almost certainly the hermitage scene in which Seigen is united with Matsuwaka in a dream: the butterflies are the conventional signal that what we are watching is not happening.
Seller's Story
I've been collecting Japanese woodblock prints for quite a while now — everything from classic ukiyo-e to shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga. What started as a personal passion eventually turned into something more, and these days I source prints from auctions, galleries, and private collections across Japan and Europe.
With growing worldwide interest in Japanese woodblock prints, gallery prices have been climbing steadily. My goal is simple: offer high-quality, authentic prints at reasonable prices. I'm picky about what I sell — I look for pieces that have been stored properly, kept flat, and are free from serious foxing, stains, or damage.
I'm based in Germany, which means EU buyers won't deal with any import duties or taxes. For US buyers, original artworks under HS code 9702 are duty-free as well. And wherever you are, I pack everything carefully with multiple layers of protection so your print arrives safely.
If you have questions about a piece, just reach out. You will get access to contact me once you've won an item from my lots.
Details
王朝様式/時代
Edo Period (1600-1868)
原産国
Japan
帰属
Original
高さ
36 cm
幅
48 cm
作品タイトル
KUNICHIKA • Early Work • Kabuki • Japanese Woodblock Print • Ukiyo-e
コンディション
Excellent condition
来歴
Private collection
Authenticity
Original/official
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