Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) (artist 04/30/1839 – 06/09/1892)
The Wrestler Tanafuji Tarō ( 力士梅ヶ谷藤太郎) in Yamato Newspaper No. 7, from the series Distinguished Characters of Modern Times (Kinsei jinbutsushi - 近世人物誌) - from Yamamoto Newspaper Supplement (やまと新聞附録), #7 (第七)
04/30/1887
9.75 in x 14.5 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Yoshitoshi (芳年)
Date: Meiji 20, 4th month, 30th day
明治二十年四月三十日
Publisher: Yamato Shinbunsha (やまと新聞)
Carver: Enkatsu (彫工円活)
Tokyo Metropolitan Library
Waseda University
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Lyon Collection - another print from this series: Muraoka
Lyon Collection - another print from this series:Nakamura Shikan's wife
Lyon Collection - another print from this series: wife of the last shōgun
Lyon Collection - another print from this series: the wife of Kawase There are at least 20 prints in this series of which the Lyon Collection owns five.
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The text reads:
力士（りきし）梅（むめ）ヶ谷藤太郎（とうたらう）/ 梅（むめ）が谷（たに）ハ筑前（ちくぜん）福岡（ふくをか）在（ざい）の出生（しゆつせう）なり幼（えう）に して父（ちち）を亡（うしな）ひ家（いへ）貧（まづ）しケれバ薪木（たきぎ）を負（おふ） て市（いち）に出（いで）辛（から）く母（はは）を養（やしな）ひ居（ゐ）たりしが人の 進（すす）めに由（よ）り大阪（おほさか）に出（いで）て角觝（すまふ）となりしに 幾程（いくほど）もなく大関（おほぜき）となり梅（むめ）が谷（たに）の名（な）ハ関（せき）の東西（とうざい）に聞（きこ）へて囂々（がうがう）たり或時（あるとき）古郷（こきやう）の 母（はは）を大阪（おほさか）へ迎（むか）へんとせしかど母ハ住（すミ） 馴（なれ）し地（ち）を離（はな）るるを好（この）まねバ田畑（たはた）数（す） 丁（てう）を求（もと）めて母（はは）が隠居（いんきよ）の料（りやう）とせり其（その） 後（ご）深（ふか）く前途（ぜんと）に感（おもんぱ）かる所（ところ）ありて江戸（えど）に出（いで）/当時（とうじ）相撲道（すまふだう）の行（おこな）はるる杓子定規（しやくしじやうぎ）の圧（あつ）/ 制（せい）を忍（しの）んで固守（こしゆ）し昨日（きのふ）ハ難波（なにハ）の大関（おほせき）と称（せう）せられし身（ミ）も今日（けふ）ハ江都（えど）の幕下（まくした）とな りしが尚（なを）倦色（うむいろ）もなく 勉励（べんきよう［ママ］） し忽（たちま）ち大関（おほぜき）の要（えう）/ 地（ち）に昇（のぼ）り向（むか）ふに敵（てき）なく古（いにしへ）の谷風（たにかぜ）中古（ちうこ）の陳（ぢん）/幕（まく）と伯仲（はくちう）の間（あいだ）にありとの評（へう）あり遂（つひ）に去（さ）る / 十七年の春（はる）横綱（よこつな）免許（めんきよ）の栄（えい）を得（ゑ）たりしが / 恰（あたか）も好（よし）其年（そのとし） 賢（かしこ）き辺（あた）りの御覧（ごらん）を忝（かたじけ）なふし /御前（ごぜん）に於（おゐ）て一人り土俵入（どへういり）をなし関脇（せきわき）を太刀持（たちもち）/ に小結（こむすび）を露（つゆ）払（はら）ひとせしハ遠（とほ）く其（その）例（れい）を聞（きか）ず / 此（この）天覧（てんらん）相撲（すもふ）にも勝（かち）を得（え）て其日（そのひ）の大関（おほせき）に協（かな）/ ふとて弓（ゆミ）を賜（たま）はりき程（ほど）なく辞（ぢ）して年寄（としより）となり同（どう）社会（しやくわい）にてハ殊（こと）に重（おも）んずべき雷（いかづち）/ 権太夫（ごんだいふ）の名（な）を相続（さうぞく）し東（ひがし）の幕（まく）の内（うち）ハ過半（くわはん）/ 氏（し）が門人（もんじん）たり凡（およ）そ此道（このミち）開（ひら）けて以来（いらい）氏（し）の如（こと）き /始終（しじゆう）芽出度（めでたき）人（ひと）を見（ミ）ざりき
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There had been a prohibition against portraying contemporary events prior to the Meiji Restorations. However, in the 1870s newspapers began to appear with some degree of impunity. Sarah E. Thompson noted in Undercurrents in the Floating World: Censorship and Japanese Prints on page 88 that a special kind of nishiki-e known as 'newspaper prints' also began to appear. "Although these prints derived their content from the newspapers, they were printed and sold separately. They may sometimes have been used as color supplements for the "small" newspapers aimed at a popular audience. A typical "newspaper print" included a logo with the name of the newspaper, a text derived from a recent article, and an artist's imaginary rendition of the scene. The articles selected for illustration were often tales of exemplary moral behavior, but they also included lurid crime scenes and even ghost stories related as factual events."
Yamato Shinbunsha (大和新聞社) (publisher)
sumō (相撲) (genre)
Meiji era (明治時代: 1868-1912) (genre)