Back
Back
  • Iwai Kumesaburō III on the right as Shiranui Daijin (白縫大尽) and Asao Yoroku II on the left as 魔耶助 from the series <i>8 Views of Shiranui</i> (<i>Shiranui hakkei no uchi</i> - 白縫八景之内) - a <i>mitate</i>
Iwai Kumesaburō III on the right as Shiranui Daijin (白縫大尽) and Asao Yoroku II on the left as 魔耶助 from the series <i>8 Views of Shiranui</i> (<i>Shiranui hakkei no uchi</i> - 白縫八景之内) - a <i>mitate</i>
Iwai Kumesaburō III on the right as Shiranui Daijin (白縫大尽) and Asao Yoroku II on the left as 魔耶助 from the series <i>8 Views of Shiranui</i> (<i>Shiranui hakkei no uchi</i> - 白縫八景之内) - a <i>mitate</i>
Iwai Kumesaburō III on the right as Shiranui Daijin (白縫大尽) and Asao Yoroku II on the left as 魔耶助 from the series <i>8 Views of Shiranui</i> (<i>Shiranui hakkei no uchi</i> - 白縫八景之内) - a <i>mitate</i>
Iwai Kumesaburō III on the right as Shiranui Daijin (白縫大尽) and Asao Yoroku II on the left as 魔耶助 from the series <i>8 Views of Shiranui</i> (<i>Shiranui hakkei no uchi</i> - 白縫八景之内) - a <i>mitate</i>
Iwai Kumesaburō III on the right as Shiranui Daijin (白縫大尽) and Asao Yoroku II on the left as 魔耶助 from the series <i>8 Views of Shiranui</i> (<i>Shiranui hakkei no uchi</i> - 白縫八景之内) - a <i>mitate</i>
Iwai Kumesaburō III on the right as Shiranui Daijin (白縫大尽) and Asao Yoroku II on the left as 魔耶助 from the series <i>8 Views of Shiranui</i> (<i>Shiranui hakkei no uchi</i> - 白縫八景之内) - a <i>mitate</i>
Iwai Kumesaburō III on the right as Shiranui Daijin (白縫大尽) and Asao Yoroku II on the left as 魔耶助 from the series <i>8 Views of Shiranui</i> (<i>Shiranui hakkei no uchi</i> - 白縫八景之内) - a <i>mitate</i>
Iwai Kumesaburō III on the right as Shiranui Daijin (白縫大尽) and Asao Yoroku II on the left as 魔耶助 from the series <i>8 Views of Shiranui</i> (<i>Shiranui hakkei no uchi</i> - 白縫八景之内) - a <i>mitate</i>
Comments and Tags (0)
Share

Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) / Toyokuni III (三代豊国) (artist 1786 – 01/12/1865)

Iwai Kumesaburō III on the right as Shiranui Daijin (白縫大尽) and Asao Yoroku II on the left as 魔耶助 from the series 8 Views of Shiranui (Shiranui hakkei no uchi - 白縫八景之内) - a mitate

Print

05/1861
20 in x 14.25 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese color woodblock prints
Signed: konomi ni makasete (out of my own taste) Toyokuni ga (好任豊国画)
Publisher: Hirookaya Kōsuke
(Marks 117 - seal 12-059)
Combined censor and date seals: aratame and 5/1861
Waseda University - right panel
Waseda University - left panel
Victoria and Albert Museum - an earlier Toyokuni III print on the same theme
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - another Toyokuni III related print It appears that this publisher, Hirookaya Kōsuke, produced a number of mitate diptychs in this series. The title would indicate that there were probably 8 diptychs, but so far we have only found 7 of them. We have added several of them as jpegs just below this diptych in the Lyon Collection.

****

The Shiranui monogatari written by Ryūkatei Tanekazu (柳下亭種員: 1807–58) "...at ninety volumes [was] the longest gōkan (set of bound-together volumes) ever written, [as] a revenge tale of a samurai woman facing the downfall of her family."

It isn't apparent in this scene, but one of the main characters of this tale was an earth-spider that took the form of a seductive woman. Many of the prints associated with this tale show large spiders and/or spider webs.

This diptych is distantly related to that original story. Another common motif found in ukiyo-e prints depicting scenes from this play is the unfurled scroll or in some cases a strip of fabric being held or pulled out by two actors. Both serve the same effect visually. (JSV)
Hirookaya Kōsuke (広岡屋幸助) (publisher)
Asao Yoroku II (二代目浅尾与六) (actor)
actor prints (yakusha-e - 役者絵) (genre)
Iwai Kumesaburō III (三代目岩井粂三郎: from 11/1832 to 1/1864) (actor)
mitate-e (見立て絵) (author)
Ryūkatei Tanekazu (柳下亭種員 - 1807-58) (author)