This Japanese nishiki-e (color woodblock print) is by Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900), dating to the Meiji period, circa 1884. It is from the series Genji Nijushi Jo (Twenty-four Sentiments of the Modern Genji), specifically identifying as number 7 (Dai nana go). The print depicts a dramatic interior scene with figures in elaborate costume, likely referencing a kabuki interpretation of the Tale of Genji. In the foreground, a figure in the high-ranking robes associated with Prince Genji sits beside a female attendant. The robes are decorated with phoenix (ho-o) and floral motifs in purple and red tones. To the right, another woman in a lavender kimono carries a long, thin wooden box. The background features a large decorative screen depicting a standing woman and a vibrant flower arrangement in a large red and white vase. An open book illustrated at the top left contains Genji-mon (incense crests) and calligraphic text. The bottom right contains a vertical cartouche signed Toyohara Kunichika hitsu followed by a red artist seal. The black vertical cartouche at the top right identifies the series and print number. Approximately 13 3/4 inches x 9 1/4 inches.
A Japanese woodblock print (ukiyo-e) by Toyohara Kunichika depicting the famous Kabuki actor Onoe Kikugoro V. The actor is shown in a dynamic mie pose, dressed in a layered orange and blue kimono featuring large paulownia leaf patterns and intricate geometric motifs. He holds a blue scroll in his left hand and a bundle of folded papers in his right. The background is left plain, accented by vertical columns of Japanese text. The upper right corner identifies the actor as Onoe Kikugoro. The left side is signed Toyohara Kunichika ga with a red Toshidama seal. At the bottom center, a circular censor seal and a rectangular publisher seal for Kawaguchiya Shozo (Kawasho) are present. The work is executed in ink and color on paper. Sheet size: 14 x 9.5 inches. Location: WB1-5
Toyohara Kunichika Ehon Taikoki (triptych) Meiji period (c. 1897) woodblock print in colors overall (sight): 13.75 h x 29.75 w in (35 x 76 cm) each (sight): 13.75 h x 9 w in (35 x 23 cm) This work will ship from Los Angeles, California.
Toyohara Kunichika (1835 - 1900) Japanese woodblock print, depicting Shikan Nakamura IV as Toneri Matsuo from Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami, 23.1 x 34.7cm.
Toyohara Kunichika (1835 - 1900) Japanese woodblock print, part of a triptych depicting a scene from Dawn Bell in the Yoshiwara (Yoshiwara no akatsuki no kane), from the series Eight Views of Edo (Edo hakkei no uchi), 23.1 × 34.8 cm.
ASIAN: Kunichika Toyohara (Japanese, 1835 - 1900), "The Moon, Night Viewing of Cormorant Fishing" from "The Tale of Genji (alternatively 'Genji in the Present Style')", 1857, publisher Mikawaya Tetsugoro, three separate oban tate-e sheets, depicts night scene with numerous figures on shore and on boats, appears to be hinged at top, condition consistent with age including toning, waving of paper, fading of color, without margins, etc., each paper size: 14 1/4" h. x 10" w., overall frame size: 20 1/2" h. x 36 1/2" w.
Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835-1900). "Princess Yaegaki and Takeda Katsuyori," from a scene in "Honcho Nijushi-ko" (Twenty-Four Paragons of Filial Piety in Our Country), woodblock print triptych, ink and color on paper, ca. 1878 to 1888. Signed lower right of the center sheet with the artist's red seal. A kabuki triptych in three woodblock sheets depicting the celebrated "Kitsunebi" (Fox Fire) scene from the play "Honcho Nijushi-ko," Chikamatsu Hanji's 1766 puppet drama adapted into the kabuki repertoire and beloved for over two centuries. The center and right sheets are dominated by Princess Yaegaki, played by Ichikawa Danjuro IX in onnagata costume, crossing a wooden bridge in a robe of crimson silk patterned with chrysanthemums and peonies in jade and gold. She lifts the Suwa Hosshono Kabuto, the horned and white-tasseled war helmet that is the sacred treasure of the Takeda clan, while the red torii of Suwa Shrine glows on the far shore beneath bare plum branches just beginning to flower. On the left sheet, her lover Takeda Katsuyori, played by Nakamura Fukusuke IV, sits in a balustraded gallery in a robe of lattice and ivy, sword in hand, gazing into the distance as plum blossoms drift overhead. The narrative behind the image is among the most cherished in the kabuki canon. Yaegaki, daughter of the warlord Nagao Kenshin, has long mourned her fiance Katsuyori, believed dead. When a young retainer appears at her father's house, she recognizes in him the living likeness of her beloved. To save him she must deliver the Suwa helmet, a Takeda heirloom her father has appropriated, across the frozen waters of Lake Suwa. The spirit foxes of the Suwa Myojin shrine, drawn to the helmet's sacred presence, lend her their power, and the princess crosses the ice as if borne on flame. Kunichika stages the moment of decision, the helmet raised, the lover sighted, the crossing imminent, all of it suspended in the silvered blue of a midwinter sky. Kunichika worked at the seam between two epochs, the last great practitioner of the Utagawa actor portrait before photography and photomechanical printing displaced the woodblock entirely. His palette here is unmistakable: the bold aniline reds and deep purples imported from Germany during the Meiji period, the saturated blues of the river, the carefully patterned brocades that betray hours of careful registration across multiple blocks. The print belongs to a generation of kabuki imagery that served as both advertisement and souvenir, hung in tea shops and private rooms as a record of the performance, and prized today as the final flowering of an art form that had defined Edo for two and a half centuries. Signed lower right of the center sheet "Toyohara Kunichika hitsu" ("from the brush of Toyohara Kunichika") with the artist's red Toshidama seal of the Utagawa school. Role and actor cartouche upper right of center sheet reads "Yaegaki-hime, Ichikawa Danjuro." Role and actor cartouche upper right of left sheet reads "Takeda Katsuyori, Nakamura Fukusuke." Publisher's cartouche lower left of left sheet bears a Meiji-period printing date and Tokyo publisher address, partially obscured. About the artist: Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) was born Oshima Yasohachi in the Kyobashi district of Edo. Apprenticed early to a dry goods shop and a lampshade maker, he began studying with Toyohara Chikanobu around age twelve and was accepted the following year into the studio of Utagawa Kunisada, the dominant printmaker of the mid-nineteenth century. His professional name was a deliberate composite of both teachers'. His specialty was yakusha-e, woodblock portraits of kabuki actors, pursued with an intensity bordering on obsession. A backstage regular known for sketching in concentrated silence, he produced "big head" close-up portraits that became among the most recognized images of his generation. Contemporary press consistently ranked him beside Yoshitoshi and Yoshiiku, and in 1867 the Tokugawa government commissioned him to contribute ten works to the World Exhibition in Paris. His transition into the Meiji period (1868-1912) was smoother than most of his peers managed. While photography and photoengraving displaced the commercial footing of many ukiyo-e artists, Kunichika adapted, incorporating Western vanishing-point perspective and experimenting with the bold aniline reds and deep purples newly imported from Germany. His personal life was less composed: chronically in debt, a heavy drinker, and a known frequenter of the Yoshiwara, he died in 1900 not long after the death of his daughter Hana in childbirth. His grave poem announced his intention to paint portraits of the King of Hell and his devils, a suitably defiant exit for a man who had spent sixty-five years in the theater. He is now recognized as one of the last significant masters of the woodblock tradition he inherited from Kunisada, and the most important chronicler of kabuki in the Meiji era. Item # 195215
Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835-1900). Trio of Kabuki woodblocks, each scene depicting a theater performance with historical figures. Each print bears the artist signature cartouche Toyohara Kunichika hitsu and the carver mark for Watanabe Horie. One figure is identified in a vertical cartouche as Oda Nobunaga. The reverse of each sheet has been reinforced with a paper lining. These items are unframed. Each sheet 14 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches. Location: 14C
Group of three Japanese woodblock prints. Two of the prints are by Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835-1900) and belong to the series Fifty-four Feelings of the Present Day (Genji gojuyon jo). The first Kunichika print, numbered 32, depicts three women in a domestic interior with a screen and a hanging scroll featuring a bird. The second Kunichika print, numbered 41, shows figures on pleasure boats on the water. Both Kunichika prints feature the signature Toyohara Kunichika hitsu and include the publisher's mark for Takekawa Seikichi. The third print is by Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786-1865) and depicts a woman in a blue floral kimono standing behind a large standing screen that features figures. This print bears the signature Isshunsai Kunisada. All three prints are unframed and are rendered in multi-color woodblock ink on traditional paper. Largest print 14 3/4 x 10 inches. Location: 14C
Title Ukiyo-e, Current Fifty-four Emotions (No. 1, No. 6, No. 21), by Toyohara Kunichika Description Affixed to a backing paper at the top Exhibits damage and stains.
Title Toyohara Kunichika, "Mitate Sangokushi" Ukiyo-e Kabuki-e Description This is "Mitate Sangokushi" by Toyohara Kunichika. Ukiyo-e, Kabuki-e. The dimensions of the Ukiyo-e are 35cm x 23.5cm, and it is mounted on a backing paper measuring 39.5cm x 28.5cm. There are a few small stains, and the paper in the lower left corner has some minor damage. Apart from this, there are no significant blemishes.
Title: Toyohara Kunichika Ukiyo-e Actor Prints from the Late Edo to Meiji Period Description: Dimensions: 17 x 11.5 cm. Condition: The work shows signs of aging consistent with its period. Set of 2 prints.
Title Ukiyo-e Woodblock Print by Toyohara Kunichika - "Yamakichi Ryogoku Kaga-ya" - Large Format - Meiji Period Antique Description Featuring Bando Hidesaburo Created by Toyohara Kunichika Frame Dimensions: Width 97.5cm, Height 52cm Original Work Due to its age, there is slight fading and patina.
Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835-1900). "Princess Yaegaki and Takeda Katsuyori," from a scene in "Honcho Nijushi-ko" (Twenty-Four Paragons of Filial Piety in Our Country), woodblock print triptych, ink and color on paper, ca. 1878 to 1888. Signed lower right of the center sheet with the artist's red seal. A kabuki triptych in three woodblock sheets depicting the celebrated "Kitsunebi" (Fox Fire) scene from the play "Honcho Nijushi-ko," Chikamatsu Hanji's 1766 puppet drama adapted into the kabuki repertoire and beloved for over two centuries. The center and right sheets are dominated by Princess Yaegaki, played by Ichikawa Danjuro IX in onnagata costume, crossing a wooden bridge in a robe of crimson silk patterned with chrysanthemums and peonies in jade and gold. She lifts the Suwa Hosshono Kabuto, the horned and white-tasseled war helmet that is the sacred treasure of the Takeda clan, while the red torii of Suwa Shrine glows on the far shore beneath bare plum branches just beginning to flower. On the left sheet, her lover Takeda Katsuyori, played by Nakamura Fukusuke IV, sits in a balustraded gallery in a robe of lattice and ivy, sword in hand, gazing into the distance as plum blossoms drift overhead. Size (folded): 9.3" W x 14.8" H (23.6 cm W x 37.6 cm H); (open):28.3" W x 14.8" H (71.9 cm W x 37.6 cm H). The narrative behind the image is among the most cherished in the kabuki canon. Yaegaki, daughter of the warlord Nagao Kenshin, has long mourned her fiance Katsuyori, believed dead. When a young retainer appears at her father's house, she recognizes in him the living likeness of her beloved. To save him she must deliver the Suwa helmet, a Takeda heirloom her father has appropriated, across the frozen waters of Lake Suwa. The spirit foxes of the Suwa Myojin shrine, drawn to the helmet's sacred presence, lend her their power, and the princess crosses the ice as if borne on flame. Kunichika stages the moment of decision, the helmet raised, the lover sighted, the crossing imminent, all of it suspended in the silvered blue of a midwinter sky. Kunichika worked at the seam between two epochs, the last great practitioner of the Utagawa actor portrait before photography and photomechanical printing displaced the woodblock entirely. His palette here is unmistakable: the bold aniline reds and deep purples imported from Germany during the Meiji period, the saturated blues of the river, the carefully patterned brocades that betray hours of careful registration across multiple blocks. The print belongs to a generation of kabuki imagery that served as both advertisement and souvenir, hung in tea shops and private rooms as a record of the performance, and prized today as the final flowering of an art form that had defined Edo for two and a half centuries. Signed lower right of the center sheet "Toyohara Kunichika hitsu" ("from the brush of Toyohara Kunichika") with the artist's red Toshidama seal of the Utagawa school. Role and actor cartouche upper right of center sheet reads "Yaegaki-hime, Ichikawa Danjuro." Role and actor cartouche upper right of left sheet reads "Takeda Katsuyori, Nakamura Fukusuke." Publisher's cartouche lower left of left sheet bears a Meiji-period printing date and Tokyo publisher address, partially obscured. About the artist: Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) was born Oshima Yasohachi in the Kyobashi district of Edo. Apprenticed early to a dry goods shop and a lampshade maker, he began studying with Toyohara Chikanobu around age twelve and was accepted the following year into the studio of Utagawa Kunisada, the dominant printmaker of the mid-nineteenth century. His professional name was a deliberate composite of both teachers'. His specialty was yakusha-e, woodblock portraits of kabuki actors, pursued with an intensity bordering on obsession. A backstage regular known for sketching in concentrated silence, he produced "big head" close-up portraits that became among the most recognized images of his generation. Contemporary press consistently ranked him beside Yoshitoshi and Yoshiiku, and in 1867 the Tokugawa government commissioned him to contribute ten works to the World Exhibition in Paris. His transition into the Meiji period (1868-1912) was smoother than most of his peers managed. While photography and photoengraving displaced the commercial footing of many ukiyo-e artists, Kunichika adapted, incorporating Western vanishing-point perspective and experimenting with the bold aniline reds and deep purples newly imported from Germany. His personal life was less composed: chronically in debt, a heavy drinker, and a known frequenter of the Yoshiwara, he died in 1900 not long after the death of his daughter Hana in childbirth. His grave poem announced his intention to paint portraits of the King of Hell and his devils, a suitably defiant exit for a man who had spent sixty-five years in the theater. He is now recognized as one of the last significant masters of the woodblock tradition he inherited from Kunisada, and the most important chronicler of kabuki in the Meiji era. Provenance: private Las Vegas, Nevada, USA collection SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.). PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception. Item # 195215
Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835-1900), Two Kabuki Actor, Woodblock Prints in Colors, 19th century, signed in print right side, wood frames. Image: 14" H x 9.75" W; frame: 21.25" H x 17.25" W x 1.25" D. Provenance: From the Estate of Joseph Lawrence Gardella. Keywords: Antique Prints, Multiples, Woodcut, Yakusha-e, Ukiyo-e, Fukei-ga, Meisho-e. Figural, Figurative, 19th Century Art, Asian Art
Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835-1900), Two Kabuki Actor Scene, Woodblock Prints in Colors, one depicting Bando Hikosaburo V as Nizaemon with iris flowers behind, and one from "The Seven Poems for Good Luck at Sunrise on New Year's Day in the Modern World" series depicting Shido (Otani Tomoemon V) with cherry blossom trees in the background, both unframed. Image: 14.25" H x 9.5" W; mat: 18.25" H x 13.5" W. Provenance: From the Estate of Joseph Lawrence Gardella. Keywords: Ukiyo-e, Musha-e, Okubi-e, Yakusha-e, Figural, Figurative, Samurai Warrior, Katana sword, Portraiture, 19th Century Art, Antique Prints, Asian Art
Kunichika, Toyohara Japan, 1835 - 1900 37,4 x 25,3/ 35 x 24,2 cm Oban - The actor Kawarazaki Kunitaro I, 1867, signed; Oban - Portrait of an actor in front of a blue background, signed. From an old East German private collection - Minim. traces of age Kunichika, Toyohara Japan, 1835 - 1900 37,4 x 25,3/ 35 x 24,2 cm Oban - Der Schauspieler Kawarazaki Kunitaro I, 1867, signiert; Oban - Schauspieler-Darstellung vor blauem Hintergrund, signiert. Aus einer alten ostdeutschen Privatsammlung - Minim. Altersspuren
TOYOHARA KUNICHIKA (1835-1900), 'Kawarasaki Gonjuro I as Samezaya Shiroza', wood block print number four from an untitled set of ten prints featuring otokodate (chivalrous commoners or street knights) paired with iris designs. Seals lower right, 1865. 35 x 24 cm.
This Japanese nishiki-e (color woodblock print) is by Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900), dating to the Meiji period, circa 1884. It is from the series Genji Nijushi Jo (Twenty-four Sentiments of the Modern Genji), specifically identifying as number 7 (Dai nana go). The print depicts a dramatic interior scene with figures in elaborate costume, likely referencing a kabuki interpretation of the Tale of Genji. In the foreground, a figure in the high-ranking robes associated with Prince Genji sits beside a female attendant. The robes are decorated with phoenix (ho-o) and floral motifs in purple and red tones. To the right, another woman in a lavender kimono carries a long, thin wooden box. The background features a large decorative screen depicting a standing woman and a vibrant flower arrangement in a large red and white vase. An open book illustrated at the top left contains Genji-mon (incense crests) and calligraphic text. The bottom right contains a vertical cartouche signed Toyohara Kunichika hitsu followed by a red artist seal. The black vertical cartouche at the top right identifies the series and print number. Approximately 13 3/4 inches x 9 1/4 inches.
A Japanese woodblock print (ukiyo-e) by Toyohara Kunichika depicting the famous Kabuki actor Onoe Kikugoro V. The actor is shown in a dynamic mie pose, dressed in a layered orange and blue kimono featuring large paulownia leaf patterns and intricate geometric motifs. He holds a blue scroll in his left hand and a bundle of folded papers in his right. The background is left plain, accented by vertical columns of Japanese text. The upper right corner identifies the actor as Onoe Kikugoro. The left side is signed Toyohara Kunichika ga with a red Toshidama seal. At the bottom center, a circular censor seal and a rectangular publisher seal for Kawaguchiya Shozo (Kawasho) are present. The work is executed in ink and color on paper. Sheet size: 14 x 9.5 inches. WB1-5
Kunichika Toyohara (1835-1900) Utagawa School, Kunisada line "36 Selection of Embellished Flowers" Genre: Feminine Beauty Original woodcut made in 1852 Measurements: 35.5 x 24 cm
(4) Japanese Woodblock Prints (1) Kunisada (1786-1864), Rendezvous, (mounted, unframed), dimensions: 8.5 x 11.5 cm, mount: 24 x 30 cm. (2) Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797 - 1861), Higuchi Jiro Kanemitsu, c1860s, (unframed), dimensions: 23 x 16 cm. (3) Toyohara Kunichika (1835 - 1900), Siranui Story (Shiranui Monogatari), c1880s, (mounted, unframed), dimensions: 15 x 22.5 cm, mount: 30 x 40 cm. (4) Unknown Artist, Okumura Hannosuke Mikuchi, Okamura Mantaro, c1860s, (mounted, unframed), dimensions: 21.5 x 14 cm, mount: 30 x 39 cm.
A LOT OF TEN WOODBLOCK PRINTS, JAPAN, MEIJI PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY Polychrome mokuhanga on washi paper, depicting kabuki theatre scenes with actors (yakusha-e) and beauties (bijinga), some set at Tōkaidō stations; bearing signatures of Utagawa school masters including Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) and Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900). Ōban tate format, dimensions: approx. 35 x 23.5 cm each
A GROUP OF TWELVE WOODBLOCK PRINTS, JAPAN, MEIJI PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY Polychrome mokuhanga on washi paper, depicting bijinga scenes (female figures in domestic interiors); bearing signatures of Utagawa school masters including Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865), Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) and Utagawa Yoshiiku (1833-1904). Ōban tate format, dimensions: approx. 35 x 23.5 cm each
A GROUP OF FIFTEEN WOODBLOCK PRINTS, JAPAN, MEIJI PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY Polychrome mokuhanga on washi paper, depicting bijinga scenes (female figures in domestic interiors); bearing signatures of Utagawa school masters including Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) and Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912). Ōban tate format, dimensions: approx. 35 x 23.5 cm each
A GROUP OF TEN WOODBLOCK PRINTS, JAPAN, MEIJI PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY Polychrome mokuhanga on washi paper, depicting kabuki theatre scenes with actors (yakusha-e) in warrior, heroic and female roles; bearing signatures of Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) and Utagawa Toyokuni / Kunisada. Ōban tate format, dimensions: approx. 35 x 23.5 cm each
This artwork depicts a magician who transforms into a dragon, Ryuo Taro (left) who sees through his illusions by reflecting them on his sword, Kikuomaru (center) who also appears in The Tale of the Heike, and Unryu Kuro (right), a magician who controls dragonsKikuoumaru. This item is a portrait of actors from Kabuki plays based on characters from the popular Tale of the Heike. The three-panel set is complete and in excellent condition, hence this rating. 33.1/4 in. x 19 in. overall including the frame.
Rare woodblock print by Toyohara Kunichika Japan, Meiji period, 1835 - 1900. Color woodblock print on Washi (Japanese paper), signed. Artist: Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900). Dimensions: 34.7 x 22.7 cm. The sheet is loose. Condition: Traces of age, slight color loss, rubbed. Toyohara Kunichika was a master of Japanese Ukiyo-e, particularly known for his vivid and dramatic portraits of Kabuki actors. Kunichika worked during a time of great social upheaval in Japan, and his art reflects both the nostalgic world of Edo Kabuki and the influences of emerging modernity. Despite competition from photography and Western art forms, he was one of the last great Ukiyo-e artists of the 19th century.
4 TRIPTYCHS AND 2 DIPTYCHS BY VARIOUS ARTISTS Japan, around 1850-1890, ôban format. 6 multiple sheet woodblock prints a) Triptych by Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900) depicting the ghost of Akugenda Yoshihira striking down Nanba Jiro during the visit of Kiyomori to the Nunobiki Waterfall, signed, publisher Moriya Jihei, censor's seal. b) Triptych by Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III, 1786–1864) entitled Okugoten yuraku no zu (Scenes of Amusements at Oku Palace), each signed, publisher Jôshûya Kinzô, censor's seals Hama, Magome. c) Utagawa Hiroshige III (1842–1894): Triptych, depicting a view of Ômi as seen from Ishiyama (Ōmi hakkei zenzu, Ishiyama yori miru), signed, publisher Hasegawa Tsunejirô. d) Toyohara Chikanobu (1838–1912): Triptych of Women's Activities of the Tokugawa Era, signed Yôshû Chikanobu, publisher Hasegawa Tsunejiro. e) 2 Diptychs by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861): Life-sized Dolls Exhibited at Asakusa Okuyama (Asakusa Okuyama iki-ningyō), publisher Izutsuya Shôkichi, censor's seal: aratame Hare 4, and one showing six kabuki actors on New Year's morning, publisher Maruya Seijirô, Fuku and Muramatsu censor's seals. (16) Provenance: Collection of Heinrich J. Kremer (1924–2020), Bonn, Germany. ------------------------------------------------- 4 TRIPTYCHE UND 2 DIPTYCHE VERSCHIEDENER KÜNSTLER Japan, um 1850-1890, ôban-Format. Provenienz: Sammlung Heinrich J. Kremer (1924–2020), Bonn, Deutschland. -------------------------------------------------
Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835-1900). "Princess Yaegaki and Takeda Katsuyori," from a scene in "Honcho Nijushi-ko" (Twenty-Four Paragons of Filial Piety in Our Country), woodblock print triptych, ink and color on paper, ca. 1878 to 1888. Signed lower right of the center sheet with the artist's red seal. A kabuki triptych in three woodblock sheets depicting the celebrated "Kitsunebi" (Fox Fire) scene from the play "Honcho Nijushi-ko," Chikamatsu Hanji's 1766 puppet drama adapted into the kabuki repertoire and beloved for over two centuries. The center and right sheets are dominated by Princess Yaegaki, played by Ichikawa Danjuro IX in onnagata costume, crossing a wooden bridge in a robe of crimson silk patterned with chrysanthemums and peonies in jade and gold. She lifts the Suwa Hosshono Kabuto, the horned and white-tasseled war helmet that is the sacred treasure of the Takeda clan, while the red torii of Suwa Shrine glows on the far shore beneath bare plum branches just beginning to flower. On the left sheet, her lover Takeda Katsuyori, played by Nakamura Fukusuke IV, sits in a balustraded gallery in a robe of lattice and ivy, sword in hand, gazing into the distance as plum blossoms drift overhead. Size: (folded): 9.3" W x 14.8" H (23.6 cm W x 37.6 cm H); (open):28.3" W x 14.8" H (71.9 cm W x 37.6 cm H). The narrative behind the image is among the most cherished in the kabuki canon. Yaegaki, daughter of the warlord Nagao Kenshin, has long mourned her fiance Katsuyori, believed dead. When a young retainer appears at her father's house, she recognizes in him the living likeness of her beloved. To save him she must deliver the Suwa helmet, a Takeda heirloom her father has appropriated, across the frozen waters of Lake Suwa. The spirit foxes of the Suwa Myojin shrine, drawn to the helmet's sacred presence, lend her their power, and the princess crosses the ice as if borne on flame. Kunichika stages the moment of decision, the helmet raised, the lover sighted, the crossing imminent, all of it suspended in the silvered blue of a midwinter sky. Kunichika worked at the seam between two epochs, the last great practitioner of the Utagawa actor portrait before photography and photomechanical printing displaced the woodblock entirely. His palette here is unmistakable: the bold aniline reds and deep purples imported from Germany during the Meiji period, the saturated blues of the river, the carefully patterned brocades that betray hours of careful registration across multiple blocks. The print belongs to a generation of kabuki imagery that served as both advertisement and souvenir, hung in tea shops and private rooms as a record of the performance, and prized today as the final flowering of an art form that had defined Edo for two and a half centuries. Signed lower right of the center sheet "Toyohara Kunichika hitsu" ("from the brush of Toyohara Kunichika") with the artist's red Toshidama seal of the Utagawa school. Role and actor cartouche upper right of center sheet reads "Yaegaki-hime, Ichikawa Danjuro." Role and actor cartouche upper right of left sheet reads "Takeda Katsuyori, Nakamura Fukusuke." Publisher's cartouche lower left of left sheet bears a Meiji-period printing date and Tokyo publisher address, partially obscured. About the artist: Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) was born Oshima Yasohachi in the Kyobashi district of Edo. Apprenticed early to a dry goods shop and a lampshade maker, he began studying with Toyohara Chikanobu around age twelve and was accepted the following year into the studio of Utagawa Kunisada, the dominant printmaker of the mid-nineteenth century. His professional name was a deliberate composite of both teachers'. His specialty was yakusha-e, woodblock portraits of kabuki actors, pursued with an intensity bordering on obsession. A backstage regular known for sketching in concentrated silence, he produced "big head" close-up portraits that became among the most recognized images of his generation. Contemporary press consistently ranked him beside Yoshitoshi and Yoshiiku, and in 1867 the Tokugawa government commissioned him to contribute ten works to the World Exhibition in Paris. His transition into the Meiji period (1868-1912) was smoother than most of his peers managed. While photography and photoengraving displaced the commercial footing of many ukiyo-e artists, Kunichika adapted, incorporating Western vanishing-point perspective and experimenting with the bold aniline reds and deep purples newly imported from Germany. His personal life was less composed: chronically in debt, a heavy drinker, and a known frequenter of the Yoshiwara, he died in 1900 not long after the death of his daughter Hana in childbirth. His grave poem announced his intention to paint portraits of the King of Hell and his devils, a suitably defiant exit for a man who had spent sixty-five years in the theater. He is now recognized as one of the last significant masters of the woodblock tradition he inherited from Kunisada, and the most important chronicler of kabuki in the Meiji era. Provenance: private Las Vegas, Nevada, USA collection SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.). PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception. Item # 195215
Japan, woodblock print by Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900)Kawakami Theater triptych, lower leftcorner missing, framed Uit de privécollectie van Jacob Gelt Dekker [1]
Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print depicting a bijin kneeling beside a textile frame, rendered in polychrome pigments. Signed Ichiyosai Kunichika ga, with inset narrative panel at upper left. Artist: Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) Dimensions: 35 × 23.5 cm Signature: Vertical cartouche Ichiyosai Kunichika ga Subject: Bijin in domestic interior Condition: Moderate to heavy foxing; marginal staining and toning. Minor edge wear.
Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835-1900) and Hiroshige III (Japanese, 1843-1894). Woodblock print on paper titled "Odawara: Sawamura Tanosuke III as Shirai Gonpachi," from the series "The Tokaido Road: One Look Worth a Thousand Ryo," 1867.
After Utamaro Kitagawa (c.1753 - 1806), Two Beauties Under the Same Umbrella, Ukiyo-e Japanese print, 37.5 x 25 cm, framed and glazed 61.5 x 46 cm; Toyohara Kunichika (1835 - 1900), a triptych of three ladies, 35 x 23 cm, in a single mount (unframed) 51 x 89 cm; and another Japanese print of ladies in an interior, 36 x 24 cm, framed and glazed 47.5 x 35.5 cm (3)
Toyohara Kunichika Japan, 1835-1900 Kabuki actor coloured woodblock on paper inscribed verso 'Kunichaka, a pupal of Kunisada.....Art Cellars....Perth WA.
Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) Studying 1878 Published Kobayashi Tetsujiro, Tokyo, from the series Mirror of Enlightened Human Nature. Sight size measures 13.5 x 9 with a framed size of 20.75 15.75 inches. Without proof of exemption, be aware that internet sales tax applies to all Internet transactions and local sales tax may apply to local pick-up transactions. We happily provide seamless in-house packing and shipping services on nearly everything we sell. Until further notice, we cannot offer international shipping in-house.
Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) The collection of seven Meiji period vermilion ground framed chuban diptych panels by Toyohara Kunichika from a Kabuki actor series is offered as shown with an added frame. Overall framed sizes range from 11.25 x 14.25 to 12.5 x 16.25 inches. Without proof of exemption, be aware that internet sales tax applies to all Internet transactions and local sales tax may apply to local pick-up transactions. We happily provide seamless in-house packing and shipping services on nearly everything we sell. Until further notice, we cannot offer international shipping in-house.
Japanese School, Three Woodblock Prints in Colors, comprising: Toshusai Sharaku (Japanese, XVIII), "Sawamura Sojuro III As Ogishi Kurando" circa 1795, Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835-1900), Center Panel of "Morning Pilgrimage to Mount Minobu" (Minobusan asamairi no zu), 1863, and Woodcut of Mother and Child, 19th century, black frames. Largest image: 15.25" H x 9.75" W; frame: 23.5" H x 18.25" W. Provenance: From an East 81st Street Estate. Keywords: Ukiyo-e, Prints, Multiples, Asian Art, Figural, Figurative, Figural, Maternal, Polychrome, Okubi-e, Kabuki, Festival, Antique Prints
Kunisada (Toyokuni III, Japanese 1786-1865) and Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835-1900), Five Actor Portraits Including a portrait from Kunisada's Imayô oshi-e kagami series (1859-61), and three portraits from an untitled series by Kunisada, circa 1861-1864; framed, matted, and glazed Frames approx height 19 3/4 in., 50 cm., Width 15 1/4 in., 38.5 cm. Property from the Collection of Roslyn Hahn, Philadelphia This lot is located in Philadelphia.
Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900), Four Triptych Prints of the Treasury of Loyal Retainers (Chushingura) 丰原国贺 (1835–1900)「忠臣藏」四联版画 Depicting various acts from the historical incident involving the forty-seven ronin each board 20 x 37.8 in — 50.8 x 96 cm Estimate: $400—600 CAD
Kunichika, Toyohara. "Urashima Taro". Der Angler und die tanzende Schildkröte auf der Brücke in der Provinz Suruga. Japanischer Ukiyo-e Farbholzschnitt. Format ôban tate-e 34 x 24 cm. Unter Passepartout montiert. Ca. 1866. Gesuchtes Blatt mit einer Szene aus dem Kabuki-Theater, die den berühmten Helden Urashima Taro aus der Volkssage zeigt, einen jungen Fischer, der eine Schildkröte rettet und zur Belohnung den Unterwasser-Drachenpalast besuchen darf. – Leicht knittrig, wenige Randläsuren, sehr schöner Druck in prachtvoller Farbigkeit.
