About This Print
One of 261 prints from the series Nōgakuzue (Illustrations of Noh). The print depicts a scene from the play Genjō (also seen written as Kenjō) sometimes attributed to the playwright Kawakami kannushi (dates unknown) in which the sea dragon-god appears carrying a famous lute.
This is one of several prints in the series in which the artist uses the actual stage as the background.
For background on the Noh theater see the article on this site "Noh - A Brief Summary by Beata Kubiak Ho-Chi".
The Play - Genjō
Source: A Guide to No, P.G. O'Neill, Hinoki Shoten, 1929, p. 41-42.
Fifth Group
All Noh schools
Characters:
All Noh schools
Tsure –Fujiwara no Moronaga
Waki - aretainer
Waki-tsure– two or three retainers
Tsure –an old woman
Shite – anold man
Kyōgen -a sea creature
Act 2:
Nochi-shite– the Emperor Murakami
Nochi-tsure– a dragon-god
Thefamous lute player Moronaga is about to sail for China for further training onthe instrument in that country, when he stops for a night at Suma Bay to viewthe moon. He plays a piece on a lute forthe old couple in whose house he is lodging, and is surprised to find them soappreciative of the music that when a shower of rain patters down on the roofthey hasten to spread rush mats there to deaden the sound. He therefore asks them to play a piece, andwhen they play on the lute and Japanese hard their performance is so skillful thathe abandons altogether his plan of going to study in China. At this, the old couple reveal that they arein fact the Emperor Murakami and his consort, the Lady Nashitsubo, and that theEmperor had played the melody on the famous lute called Genjō in the hope thatafter hearing it Moronaga would give up his journey abroad. They then vanish, but the Emperor reappearsshortly afterwards and summons a dragon-god from the sea. He retrieves from him another famous lute,Shishi-maru, which had been seized by the draon-god when it was on its way toJapan with Genjō, and this he presents to Moronaga.
Tsure –Fujiwara no Moronaga
Waki - aretainer
Waki-tsure– two or three retainers
Tsure –an old woman
Shite – anold man
Kyōgen -a sea creature
Act 2:
Nochi-shite– the Emperor Murakami
Nochi-tsure– a dragon-god
Thefamous lute player Moronaga is about to sail for China for further training onthe instrument in that country, when he stops for a night at Suma Bay to viewthe moon. He plays a piece on a lute forthe old couple in whose house he is lodging, and is surprised to find them soappreciative of the music that when a shower of rain patters down on the roofthey hasten to spread rush mats there to deaden the sound. He therefore asks them to play a piece, andwhen they play on the lute and Japanese hard their performance is so skillful thathe abandons altogether his plan of going to study in China. At this, the old couple reveal that they arein fact the Emperor Murakami and his consort, the Lady Nashitsubo, and that theEmperor had played the melody on the famous lute called Genjō in the hope thatafter hearing it Moronaga would give up his journey abroad. They then vanish, but the Emperor reappearsshortly afterwards and summons a dragon-god from the sea. He retrieves from him another famous lute,Shishi-maru, which had been seized by the draon-god when it was on its way toJapan with Genjō, and this he presents to Moronaga.
Right Margin Description of Scene
click on image to enlarge
Print Details
IHL Catalog #1162 Title Genjō 絃上 (sometimes seen as Kenjō) Series Nōgakuzue 能樂圖繪 (Illustrations of Noh)
Artist
Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927)
Signature
Kōgyo 耕漁 Seal 
White letter seal in a square shape: 年久／之印 [Toshihisa / no in]
"Toshihisa no in" seal no. 39, p. 171 in The Beauty of Silence: Nō and Nature Prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), Robert Schaap & J. Thomas Rimer, Hotei Publishing, 2010. Date This collection's print was issued in August 1897 as shown in the print's left margin, as follows:
Date of Printing: August 5, 1897
明治三十年八月五印刷
Date of Issuance: partially trimmed
仝年仝月?日発行
The ARC database entry for their print arcUP0868 carries different dates from this collection's print, as follows:
:明治三十三年十一月一日印刷仝年仝月五日発行
Printed on November 1, 1900; Issued on November 5, 1900
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; left margin slightly trimmed; light toning and soiling
Genre ukiyo-e Miscellaneous
Format oban yoko-e H x W Paper 9 1/2 x 14 1/8 in. (24.1 x 35.9 cm) H x W Image
9 x 13 3/16 in. (22.9 x 33.5 cm) area within printed black border
Collections This Print Art Institute of Chicago 1939.2258.3; Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University AcNo. arcUP0852 CoGNo. arcUP0840 AlGNo. arcUP0840; University of Pittsburgh 20091209-kogyo-0168; Rijksmuseum RP-P-1980-25 Reference Literature
| IHL Catalog | #1162 |
| Title | Genjō 絃上 (sometimes seen as Kenjō) |
| Series | Nōgakuzue 能樂圖繪 (Illustrations of Noh) |
| Artist | Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927) |
| Signature | Kōgyo 耕漁 |
| Seal | "Toshihisa no in" seal no. 39, p. 171 in The Beauty of Silence: Nō and Nature Prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), Robert Schaap & J. Thomas Rimer, Hotei Publishing, 2010. |
| Date | This collection's print was issued in August 1897 as shown in the print's left margin, as follows: Date of Printing: August 5, 1897 明治三十年八月五印刷 Date of Issuance: partially trimmed 仝年仝月?日発行 The ARC database entry for their print arcUP0868 carries different dates from this collection's print, as follows: :明治三十三年十一月一日印刷仝年仝月五日発行 Printed on November 1, 1900; Issued on November 5, 1900 |
| Edition | unknown |
| Publisher | 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; left margin slightly trimmed; light toning and soiling |
| Genre | ukiyo-e |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | oban yoko-e |
| H x W Paper | 9 1/2 x 14 1/8 in. (24.1 x 35.9 cm) |
| H x W Image | 9 x 13 3/16 in. (22.9 x 33.5 cm) area within printed black border |
| Collections This Print | Art Institute of Chicago 1939.2258.3; Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University AcNo. arcUP0852 CoGNo. arcUP0840 AlGNo. arcUP0840; University of Pittsburgh 20091209-kogyo-0168; Rijksmuseum RP-P-1980-25 |
| Reference Literature |
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