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Nōgakuzue, Daihannya

 

 Japanese Color Woodblock Print

Daihannya 大盤若

(The Buddhist Sutra and the Shintō Dance)

from the series Nōgakuzue

by Tsukioka Kōgyo, 1897

Nōgakuzue, Kurama Tengu



IHL Cat. #1146

About This Print

One of 261 prints from the series Nōgakuzue (Illustrations of Noh). The print depicts a scene from the kyōgen [狂言] Daihannya, in which the Buddhist Priest on the left joins the Shrine Maiden in her Shintō dance. 

For background on the Noh theater see the article on this site "Noh - A Brief Summary by Beata Kubiak Ho-Chi".


The Play - Daihannya

Source: A Guide to Kyogen, Don Kenny, Hinoki Shoten, 1968, p. 48.

Shite -
 Priest
Ado - Shrine Maiden
Koado - Man

A Shrine Maiden of the Shintō religion appears at the Man's house to perform her monthly kagura (a Shintō dance of blessing).  Before long a Buddhist Priest appears at the same Man's house to read his monthly sutras.  The Man places them in separate rooms to perform their services, but before long the Priest begins to complain of the noise of the kagura bells and tells the Man to have the Shrine Maiden stop her kagura till hie is finished with his sutra reading.

The Shrine Maiden objects saying the the kagura is more important than the sutras.  They argue back and forth for a time, and finally the Priest agrees to try not to pay attention to the noise.

The Priest puts his hands over his ears to keep out the noise.  The Shrine Maiden comes and teases him by ringing her bells near his ears.  The Priest begins to enjoy the dance and even joins in, forgetting his sutra reading even to the point of using his sutra scroll as bells in mimicking the Shrine Maiden's dance.

Print Details

 IHL Catalog #1146
 Title Daihannya 大盤若 (The Buddhist Sutra and the Shintō Dance)
 Series Nōgakuzue 能樂圖繪 (Illustrations of Noh)
 Artist 
 Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927)
 Signature 
 Kōgyo 耕漁
 Seal
Red letter seal in a square shape: 畊漁 [Kōgyo] 
Seal no. 63, p. 171,  in The Beauty of Silence: Nō and Nature Prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), Robert Schaap & J. Thomas Rimer, Hotei Publishing, 2010.
 DateThis collection's print was issued November 10, 1897 as shown in the print's left margin, as follows: 
Date of Printing: November 5, 1897 (Meiji 31)
明治三十
廿日印刷 
Date of Issuance: November 10, 1897
明治三十廿発行 

The ARC database entry for their print arcUP0891 carries later printing and issuance dates as follows:
明治三十一年五月廿五日印刷仝年六月一日発行
May 25, 1898 printing; June 1, 1898 issuance
 Edition unknown 
 Publisher
 Matsuki Heikichi (Daikokuya Heikichi 大黒屋平) [Marks: pub. ref. 029]
 日本橋区吉川町二番地 松木平吉 (in left margin) followed by Daikokuya seal,  as shown on left.  
 Carver 
 Impression excellent
 Colors excellent
 Condition good - album backing; full size, soiling, rubbing in right margin
 Genre ukiyo-e
 Miscellaneous 
 Format oban yoko-e
 H x W Paper 9 13/16 x 14 7/16 in. (24.9 x 36.7 cm)
 H x W Image
 8 15/16 x 13 1/8 in. (22.7 x 33.3 cm) area within printed black border
 Collections This PrintArt Institute of Chicago 1939.2258.32; Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University AcNo.arcUP0891 CoGNo.arcUP0840 AlGNo.arcUP0840; University of Pittsburgh 20091209-kogyo-0211
 Reference Literature