About This PrintThe actor Ôtani Tomoemon V from the 1867 series of prints Parody of Thirty-six Selected Beauties and Poems. This print is part of a group of at least thirty similarly designed prints bearing different series titles issued in 1867 by the same publisher, Gusokuya Kahei, six of which are shown below.
The Title Cartouche and Series Name
The reading of the series name in the title cartouche, shown left, is subject to interpretation, particularly because of the kanji character appearing second from the bottom, which is either obsolete or simply made up. The Tsubouchi Memorial Theater Museum used a ☆ as a stand-in for the character and the Tokyo Metropolitan Library substituted the characters 歌花. In addition, the last character 選 is transcribed as 撰 in the TML database, making their transcription of the cartouche 見立三十六歌花撰. The Tsubouchi transcription is 見立三十六☆選. The English translation I've come up is "Parody of Thirty-six Selected Beauties and Poems," but is subject to correction.
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Print Details| IHL Catalog | #1042 | | Title (Description) | Parody of Thirty-six Selected Beauties and Poems (Ōtani Tomoemon V)
見立三十六歌花撰 (見立三十六☆選) (<5> 大谷 友右衛門)
[note: There is an untranscribable kanji character as explained above in the title cartouche.] | | Artist | Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900) | | Signature | Kunichika ga 国周画 | | Seal | Toshidama 年玉 | | Publication Date | 1867 (Keiō 3), 4th month | | Publisher | seal reading Ningyōchō, Gusokuya 人形町具足屋 of the publisher
Gusokuya Kahei 具足屋嘉丙衛 [Marks: 24-031; publisher ref. 085] | Carver
| Hori Ei 彫栄 seal of Watanabe Eizō (1833-1901) | | Impression | excellent | | Colors | excellent
| | Condition | good - slightly uneven trimming bottom margin and along right edge; minor soiling and wrinkling | | Genre | ukiyo-e - nigao-e; yakusha-e | | Miscellaneous | | | Format | vertical oban triptych
| H x W Paper
| 14 3/4 x 9 7/8 in. (37.5 x 25.1 cm)
| Literature
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| Collections This Print
| Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum 007-2616
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