• Ohatsu in the center (召仕おはつ) battling Iwafuji [局岩藤] on the left, with the chūrō Onoe (中老於の江) on the right
Ohatsu in the center (召仕おはつ) battling Iwafuji [局岩藤] on the left, with the chūrō Onoe (中老於の江) on the right
Ohatsu in the center (召仕おはつ) battling Iwafuji [局岩藤] on the left, with the chūrō Onoe (中老於の江) on the right
Ohatsu in the center (召仕おはつ) battling Iwafuji [局岩藤] on the left, with the chūrō Onoe (中老於の江) on the right
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Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) / Toyokuni III (三代豊国) (artist 1786 – 01/12/1865)

Ohatsu in the center (召仕おはつ) battling Iwafuji [局岩藤] on the left, with the chūrō Onoe (中老於の江) on the right

Print

1847 – 1848
29.25 in x 14.25 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: shigen no ōju Toyokuni ga
"By special request of the publisher"
梓之乃應需豊国画
Publisher: Kogaya Katsugorō
(Marks 262 - seal 17-008)
Censor seals: Yoshimura and Muramatsu
Lyon Collection, Hiroshige triptych of The Ancient Custom of Attacking the Concubine
National Museums of Scotland - center panel - Kuniyoshi version
National Museums of Scotland - left panel - Kuniyoshi version
Waseda University - Kuniyoshi version center panel of the same scene
Waseda University - Kuniyoshi version left panel of the same scene This is truly one of the most curious items in the Lyon Collection. Why? Because it is signed by Toyokuni III while there are two other triptychs published by the same firm, using mostly the same blocks, but with a few additional elements. The other editions are signed by Kuniyoshi. Odd. Both men could not have created exactly the same design. How can this be?

The answer lies in the fact that the publisher owns the blocks and can do with them as he sees fit. If he wants a different artist to add his touch to the original composition he can do so, and most likely continue to sell variant forms of a popular first idea.

Actually there are a few slight to considerable differences between these sets. The coloration is not always the same, but this happens even in ordinary circumstances when new editions are produced. However, one striking difference between one of the Toyokuni III versions and that of a Kuniyoshi is that the woman on the far right who has fallen to the ground is smiling in one and not the other. Also, the other Kuniyoshi version has an interior setting.

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There is another curiosity about this triptych. Although less crowded, and on a different theme, it is remarkably like the Lyon Collection Hiroshige triptych of The Ancient Custom of Attacking the Concubine. See the link above and you will see what we mean.
Kogaya Katsugorō (古賀屋勝五郎) (publisher)
Historical - Social - Ephemera (genre)
Iwafuji, Onoe, Ohatsu (岩藤, 尾上, お初) (role)