About This Print and Twelve Months of Noh Pictures
"Jido dances outside his rustic hut holding a chrysanthemum branch while offering prayers for the Chinese Emperor’s long life.."1 The red seal beneath the artist's signature reads, according to the commentary sheet accompanying the print, "'Dew on Chrysanthemums in the Mountain Pass", a reference to Jidō's exile on Mount Rekken and the immortal elixir that forms like dew on a chrysanthemum leaf when the emperors sutras were written.
Twelve Months of Noh Pictures
From a series of twelve prints depicting twelve Noh plays, one play for each month, published by Unsōdō Publishing in 1970. Six of the prints (for the months of January, February, June, September, November and December) were created by Matsuno Sōfū (1899-1963) and the other six (for the months of March, April, May, July, August and October) were created by his son Matsuno Hideyo (1936-2002). As Sōfū died in 1963, his prints must have been created from existing designs.
As originally issued, the prints were sold as a set with each print placed inside its own mat, which was overlayed with a commentary sheet on the play, written by Matsuno Hideyo, in Japanese and English. The matted print and commentary were then placed inside an envelope (shown below, left) and all twelve envelopes were then placed into a cloth folio (shown below, right). Also included was a one page introduction (reproduced below), written by the kyōgen star, mask carver and author Nomura Manzō 野村万蔵 (1898-1978), who was named a Living National Treasure in 1967.
The red seals beneath the artist's signature appearing on the prints, each one being different, are translated into English on the print's commentary sheet and seem to relate to the play being pictured.
1 Scripps College Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery website http://web-kiosk.scrippscollege.edu/Obj21664?sid=166328&x=4334681
colophonRight Column:昭和四十五年九月一日 [ Printing date: September 1, 1970]昭和四十五年九月十日 [Publishing date: September 10, 1970]十二佳月能雅摺 全十二枚 [Twelve Months of Noh Pictures. Complete set of 12 prints]
Center Column:
不許複製 [All rights reserved]作者 松野奏風 秀世 [authors Matsuno Sōfū (and) Hideyo]発行者 本田義太郎 [publisher Honda Gitarō (reading of name uncertain]彫師 長島道男 [carver Nagashima Mishio]摺師 新味三郎 [printer Shinmi Saburō]
Left Column:
発行所 株式会社 芸艸堂 [Publishing House Unsōdō Corporation]
[address, etc.]
Introduction by Nomura Manzō 野村万蔵 (1898-1978)
click on image to enlargecommentary sheet included with print
The Play - Kiku jidō
https://www.the-noh.com/en/plays/data/program_085.html [accessed 4/2/2021]Source: Scripps College Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery website web-kiosk.scrippscollege.edu/objects-1/info/21658 [accessed 4/2/2021]A Chinese imperial official has been ordered to find the fountain of youth, and encounters the young boy Jido who reveals that long ago he was banished to the mountains by his king for having violated palace rules. However, when Jido wrote words of the Buddhist Lotus Sutra on chrysanthemum petals to float in a stream, the flower created an elixir of immortality. In this print, Jido dances outside his rustic hut holding a chrysanthemum branch while offering prayers for the Chinese Emperor’s long life.
For more details of this play see the-NOH.com websitePrint Details
last revision:
IHL Catalog #2466 Title
Notes:
1. Kiku Jidō is the name given to this play by the Kanze school of Noh. There is a similar play titled Makura Jidō that is part of the repertory of the non-Kanze schools of Noh.
2. the Noh play Kiku jidō is seen referred to in English as "Jidō of the Chrysanthemum," "Chrysanthemum Child," among others.Series/Album Twelve Months of Noh Pictures
十二佳月能雅摺 Jūnikagetsu noh ga suriArtist Matsuno Hideyo (1936-2002) Signature Seal The commentary accompanying the print states "Characters inscribed in the seal [see above] mean: 'Dew on Chrysanthemums in the Mountain Pass'." Date Publishing date: September 10, 1970
昭和四十五年九月十日 as printed on colophon
Printing date: September 1, 1970
昭和四十五年九月一日 as printed on colophonEdition first and only Publisher Carver Printer Impression excellent Colors excellent Condition excellent Genre nishiki-e; Nōgaku zue [Noh play picture] Miscellaneous Format ōban H x W Paper 15 1/16 x 10 5/8 in. (38.3 x 27 cm) H x W Image 14 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. (36.2 x 24.1 cm) Collections This Print The Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College 2010.1.3 Reference Literature
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