Welcome to the December 2022 selection of prints at the Toshidama Gallery. We have been obliged to take a break from online exhibiting due to illness, but we are pleased to be able show new prints here for the first time in six months.
There are two principal strands to popular ukiyo-e from the nineteenth century: the theatre and history/myth. Both of these strands celebrate the individual…. the strengths and weaknesses of individuals is the bedrock for much of Japanese art of the time. In kabuki theatre, roles of tremendous fortitude are contrasted with individuals of great weakness or moral cowardice. In many respects the same is true of the well populated world of Japanese myth.
Hence in the theatre prints we are showing, there are stand-out pieces that display in their drawing the finest defiant spirits of the age. Here there is the actor Ichikawa Kodanji IV as Takechi Mitsuhide, grimacing at the viewer, his face pressed daringly to the picture plane like a robber at the window. Mitsuhide was a sixteenth century warlord caught up in the brutal civil wars of Japan. He assassinated his overlord, Nobunaga, in 1582 in a bid for power but whilst he briefly attained power for himself - he was shogun for only thirteen days - he died an ignominious death at the hands of a peasant. Yoshitora, here completing the great series of portraits in this style begun by the ageing Kunisada, shows a face distorted with rage and with frustration, facing death.
Rage distorts the face of Ichikawa Danjuro VIII as Narukami Shonin, one of the great designs by Kuniyoshi and incidentally, a relatively rare foray into actor portraits. It is a master work indeed and we are fortunate to be able to offer the deluxe version of a rare design that has that fabulous oxidised and flaming sleeve. Similarly, the great and tragic figure of Matsuomaru makes an appearance played by Ichikawa Danjūrō VII and described here by Kunisada in a rare and iconic print of exceptional strength.
Leaving aside the theatre, we are showing a very rare, early warrior print by Kunisada of Zhang Fei, from 1815. The print is a rare find and in outstanding condition for a two hundred year old sheet. There is continuing interest in these early Kunisada warrior prints and how they influenced Kuniyoshi’s famous series of Water Margin prints from 1827.
Elsewhere in the selection we are showing a rare chuban yoko-e by the Osaka artist Hirosada, an unusual format of which there are only a small number of examples known by this artist. The bold triptych of Ichikawa Danhuro VIII as Benkei in a scene from the kabuki play, Kanjincho is a spectacular piece of drama and character study as is Kuniyoshi’s richly decorated portrait of the warlord Kiyomori commanding the sun not to set!We do hope you enjoy browsing our new selection of prints for December. Do sign up to the mailing list for your subscriber discount voucher, and to receive previews of new exhibitions. You can also find extensive articles on Japanese prints and culture at the Toshidama Gallery Wordpress blog.
Wishing you all best wishes for the season,
Alex Faulkner, Director
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Toshidama Gallery - Church House - Church Street - Upton Noble - Somerset - BA4 6AS
