Japanese Woodblock Prints
Japanese Woodblock Prints
Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) | Actors Onoe Kikugoro V and Ichikawa Danjuro IX in the roles of Okiku's ghost and Aoyama Tessan performing in the play The Dish Mansion at Banshu | Meiji period, late 19th century
Lot Closed
March 23, 02:43 PM GMT
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900)
Actors Onoe Kikugoro V and Ichikawa Danjuro IX in the roles of Okiku's ghost and Aoyama Tessan performing in the play The Dish Mansion at Banshu
Meiji period, late 19th century
woodblock print, triptych, signed Toyohara Kunichika hitsu (Brush of Toyohara Kunichika), published by Fukuda Kumajiro (Gusokuya), 1892
Vertical oban triptych:
Top sheet: 36.5 x 23 cm., 14⅜ x 9 in.
Centre sheet: 35.7 x 23.5 cm., 14 x 9¼ in.
Bottom sheet: 36 x 24 cm., 14⅛ x 9½ in.
Composed in a rare and unusual vertically aligned triptych, Kunichika makes use of the unusual format to depict the ghost of Okiku writhing downward across the upper two sheets. The apparition emerges from shadowy black bokashi gradation, and is accompanied by an eerie will-o'-wisp. The bottom sheet is populated with the actor Ichikawa Danjuro IX in the role of Aoyama Tessan and his frightened retainers played by Onoe Kikujiro V and Onoe Matsusuke V. The Dish Mansion at Banshu (Banshu sarayashiki) was one of the most popular ghost tales throughout the Edo period, sprouting many versions, all centred on the tale of an unjust death of a servant who returns as a spectre to haunt the living.
For a similar impression in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), accession number 1984.1.49, go to:
https://www.famsf.org/artworks/ichikawa-danjuro-ix-and-onoe-kikugoro-in-banshu-sara-yashiki