About This Print
One of 261 prints from the series Nōgakuzue (Illustrations of Noh). In an interesting composition, Kōgyo has overlaid Tamakazura's dance over a painting of an itinerant priest.For another depiction of this play see Tamakazura, No. 43 from the series Fifty Noh Figures in Color by Kōgyo's student Matsuno Sōfū (1899-1963).
For background on the Noh theater see the article on this site "Noh - A Brief Summary by Beata Kubiak Ho-Chi".
The Story of Tamakazura
Source: The Walters Art Museum website art.thewalters.org/detail/16335/nogaku-zue-8/Lady Tamakazura is a character from the 11th-century novel "The Tale of Genji." Born the illegitimate daughter of Genji's best friend and left homeless at a young age, she was raised by a nurse in the provinces. On her return to the capital, Genji appeared to play the role of protective father. He was, in fact, secretly in love with the girl and made unwelcome advances. To escape her predicament, Tamakazura married a man she detested. Kogyo shows Tamakazura performing a dance that conveys her feelings. He has put a border around this depiction and placed it over a framed painting of a wandering priest (a reference to Tamakazura's youth in the provinces), signing the half-hidden painting with one of his earlier art names, Kohan.
The Play - Tamakazura 玉葛
Note: "The Jeweled Chaplet" is in reference to the title of Chapter 22 of The Tale of Genji in which Genji composes a poem about Tamakazura referencing the "jeweled chaplet."Source: A Guide to No, P.G. O'Neill, Hinoki Shoten, 1929, p. 183.
By ZenchikuFourth GroupAll Noh schools
By Zenchiku
Fourth Group
All Noh schools
Characters:
Act 1:
Waki - a traveling priestShite - a village womanKyōgen - a local person
Act 2:Nochi-shite - Tama-kazura no Naishi
A priest on his way to pray at the Hade-dera comes to the Hatsuse-gawa and there meets a woman who lands from a small boat. She leads him up to two cryptomaria trees and tells him that this was where Tama-kazura met the maid of her mother Yūgao when she fled from Kyūshū after refusing the attentions of a powerful warrior there. She is the spirit of Tamakzura, she adds, and then vanishes. The priest prays, and in his dream the spirit reappears to tell of her unhappiness.
Right Margin Description of Scene
click on image to enlarge
click on image to enlarge
Print Details
IHL Catalog #1136 Title Tamakazura 玉葛 (The Jeweled Chaplet)
[The Kanze school title is written 玉鬘, as in the chapter title in Genji monogatari.1]
1 Meiji Gakuin University http://www.meijigakuin.ac.jp/~pmjs/biblio/noh-trans.html Series Nōgakuzue 能樂圖繪 (Illustrations of Noh)
Artist
Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927)
Signature
two signatures are seen on this print, one to the right of Tamakazura reading Kōgyo 耕漁 (shown near left) and the other to the left of the priest reads Kohan 湖畔 (shown far left.) Seal 
湖 畔[Kohan] White letter seal in a rectangular shape with double border: 湖畔 [Kohan] Red letter seals in a pair: ?・? beneath the Kohan signature as shown above.
Seal not shown in the "Seals and Signature" appendix of 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 January 10, 1899 as shown in the print's left margin, as follows: (for detail click on image left)
Date of Printing: January 5, 1899 (Meiji 32)
明治三十二年一月五日印刷
Date of Issuance: January 10, 1899
明治三十二年一月十日発行
The ARC database entry for their print arcUP0954 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 excellent - album backing; full size, light soiling
Genre ukiyo-e Miscellaneous
Format oban yoko-e H x W Paper 9 3/4 x 14 7/16 in. (24.8 x 36.7 cm) H x W Image
8 7/8 x 13 1/16 in. (22.5 x 33.2 cm) area within printed black border
Collections This Print Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University AcNo.arcUP0954 CoGNo.arcUP0840 AlGNo.arcUP0840; University of Pittsburgh 20091209-kogyo-0286; The Walters Art Museum 95.244; The Museum of Fine Arts Boston 53.2928.10 Reference Literature
last update:11/15/2019
| IHL Catalog | #1136 |
| Title | Tamakazura 玉葛 (The Jeweled Chaplet) [The Kanze school title is written 玉鬘, as in the chapter title in Genji monogatari.1] 1 Meiji Gakuin University http://www.meijigakuin.ac.jp/~pmjs/biblio/noh-trans.html |
| Series | Nōgakuzue 能樂圖繪 (Illustrations of Noh) |
| Artist | Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927) |
| Signature | |
| Seal | Seal not shown in the "Seals and Signature" appendix of The Beauty of Silence: Nō and Nature Prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), Robert Schaap & J. Thomas Rimer, Hotei Publishing, 2010. |
| Date | Date of Printing: January 5, 1899 (Meiji 32) 明治三十二年一月五日印刷 Date of Issuance: January 10, 1899 明治三十二年一月十日発行 The ARC database entry for their print arcUP0954 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 | excellent - album backing; full size, light soiling |
| Genre | ukiyo-e |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | oban yoko-e |
| H x W Paper | 9 3/4 x 14 7/16 in. (24.8 x 36.7 cm) |
| H x W Image | 8 7/8 x 13 1/16 in. (22.5 x 33.2 cm) area within printed black border |
| Collections This Print | Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University AcNo.arcUP0954 CoGNo.arcUP0840 AlGNo.arcUP0840; University of Pittsburgh 20091209-kogyo-0286; The Walters Art Museum 95.244; The Museum of Fine Arts Boston 53.2928.10 |
| Reference Literature | |
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