About This Print

Source: The Beauty of Silence: Nō and Nature Prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), Robert Schaap & J. Thomas Rimer, Hotei Publishing, 2010, p. 134
One of 200 prints issued as part of the series Nōga taikan (Encyclopedia of Noh Plays) depicting a scene from the play Aridōshi attributed to the playwright Zeami Motokiyo (1363-1443).  In the print, the deity of the Aridōshi Shrine holds an umbrella and torch, and performs a Shinto dance while reciting prayers.

The Play - Aridōshi

Source: The Beauty of Silence: Nō and Nature Prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), Robert Schaap & J. Thomas Rimer, Hotei Publishing, 2010, p. 134

In the play, the poet Ki no Tsurayuki (waki) annoys the groundkeeper (shite) by riding his horse within the precincts of the Aridōshi Shrine.  Tsurayuki soothes the feelings of the shrine deity by reciting a poem he has composed, after which, at the poet’s request, the god recites some Shinto prayers.

Print Details

IHL Catalog	#674
Title	Aridōshi 蟻 通
Series	Nōga taikan 能画大鑑 (Encyclopedia of Noh Plays or A Great Mirror of Noh Pictures or A Great Collection of Noh Pictures)
Artist	Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927)
Signature	Kōgyo
Seal	Kōgyo seal
Date	1925-1930
Edition	unknown
Publisher	Seibi Shoten (or Seibi Shoin), Tokyo
Carver	Uchida Eikichi
Printer	Yoshida Takesaburō
Impression	excellent
Colors	excellent
Condition	excellent; a pin hole upper left of image
Genre	ukiyo-e
Miscellaneous	print number 十一
Format	oban yoko-e
H x W Paper	10 x 14 1/2 in. (25.4 x 36.8 cm)
Collections This Print
Reference Literature	The Beauty of Silence: Nō and Nature Prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), Robert Schaap & J. Thomas Rimer, Hotei Publishing, 2010, p. 134, pl. 85.