Description:
vertical ōban format; ōban tate-e; bijinga; nishiki-e; likely a single panel from a triptych
Label Text:
In Japanese tradition, the long-tailed tortoise, here seen on the courtesan’s robe, is a mythical figure that holds up the world and guards the northern quadrant of the universe. Believed to have incredible longevity, the tortoise is said to eventually develop a flowing white tail and the ability to conjure sacred jewels. On the tortoise’s back the same seal is visible in the cartouche with Kunisada’s name at lower right. In addition to the artist’s signature, this print bears a publisher’s seal (in white) as well as the mark of a blockcutter (in yellow). By the mid-nineteenth century, blockcutters, who were vital in ukiyo-e production, began to place their names alongside those of the artist and publisher, further evidence of the immensely collaborative nature of Japanese woodblock printing.
- BB, ed., 2015
The title of the series to which this print belongs is printed at upper-left in the multicolored cartouche. The "Cherry Blossom District" is a reference to the Yoshiwara, Edo's famed pleasure district and epicenter of the "Floating World," the entrance to which was flanked by rows of cherry trees. At lower-right in the red toshidama cartouche is the artist's signature, which reads "Toyokuni ga" ('drawn by Toyokuni'). Immediately to the left of the signature is the mark of the woodblock carver, which reads "hori Fuji" ('carved by Fuji'), followed in the lighter cartouche by the mark of the publisher Moriya Jihei of the firm Kinshindō. The small circular seal to the right of the toshidama cartouche at lower-right is the censor's date seal, indicating that the print was inspected and approved in the eighth month of 1858 (Ansei 5). - BB 2013
Tags:
women; figures; kimonos; headdresses; flowers; lanterns; beauty; standing Subjects:
Flowers; Lanterns; Kimonos; polychrome; figures (representations); Women; Headdresses; Standing position; Beauty Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2005.211 |
