About this Print and the Series Kyōsai Hyakuzu
This print depicting a man drawing water from a well as a passing rider on horseback becomes entangled in a rope, likely depicts the Japanese proverb Sosō mo toki no ikkyō* (Failure is fun at the time.)
* typically written as 粗相も時の一興
Variant Printings
The popularity of these small prints led to numerous printings over the years. Two color variant states of the print are shown below.
The Series
Source: Comic Genius: Kawanabe Kyōsai, Oikawa Shigeru, Clark Timothy and Forrer Matthi, Tokyo Shinbun, 1996, p. 206.
This print was issued as part of the series the Kyōsai hyakuzu 狂斎百図 (One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai) which consists of more than 200 pictorializations of proverbs and depictions of famous subjects unrelated to proverbs. The prints were published continuously from 1863 to 1866* by the publisher Wakasaya and the works were later reprinted in album form by the publisher Ōkura Magobei (Ōkuraya) in 1881 and 1886. The prints in this collection are likely from one of Ōkura Magobei's reprint editions, as they show evidence of having been removed from an album.
One hundred of the proverbs depicted in Kyōsai hyakuzu were translated into French in 1885 under the title Cent Proverbes Japonais by Francis Steenackers and Ueda Tokunosuke.
Source: Comic Genius: Kawanabe Kyōsai, Oikawa Shigeru, Clark Timothy and Forrer Matthi, Tokyo Shinbun, 1996, p. 206.
This print was issued as part of the series the Kyōsai hyakuzu 狂斎百図 (One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai) which consists of more than 200 pictorializations of proverbs and depictions of famous subjects unrelated to proverbs. The prints were published continuously from 1863 to 1866* by the publisher Wakasaya and the works were later reprinted in album form by the publisher Ōkura Magobei (Ōkuraya) in 1881 and 1886. The prints in this collection are likely from one of Ōkura Magobei's reprint editions, as they show evidence of having been removed from an album.
One hundred of the proverbs depicted in Kyōsai hyakuzu were translated into French in 1885 under the title Cent Proverbes Japonais by Francis Steenackers and Ueda Tokunosuke.
This print series was very popular, enhancing Kyōsai's reputation and making a large profit for the publishers.
*1863-1866 are the most common publication dates provided for these prints, though the literature cites dates as early as 1862 for the first publication date and reprints of this series are still being made. The prints were first issued by publisher Wakasaya Yoichi (aka Jakurindō Yoichi) as single-sheet prints, sold in ten print packages in a decorative envelope. Ōkura Magobei (aka Yorozuya Magobei) re-published the prints in bound book/album form in the 1880s.
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #1305 |
| Title or Description |  麁相 Sosō |
| Artist | Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889) |
| Series | Kyōsai hyakuzu 狂斎百図 (One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai) |
| Signature |  |
| Seal of the Artist | None |
| Publication Date | unknown (originally c. 1863-1866) |
| Publisher | Wakasaya Yoichi or Ōkura Magobei |
| Carver | |
| Printer | |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | excellent - minor printers marks/offsetting |
| Genre | ukiyo-e; giga (comic print) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | koban [Vertical yotsugiri (quarter ôban)] |
| H x W Paper | 7 x 4 3/4 in. (17.8 x 12.1 cm) |
| H x W Image | |
| Collections This Print | Ukiyoe Caricatures, University of Vienna 11032-66 |
| Reference Literature |
last revision:
3/13/2021
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