Utagawa Kunisada/Toyokuni III (1786-1865) Ichikawa Danjuro VIII, Ichikawa Ebizo V as Watonai and Kanki, 1856. Oban.
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These late series by Kunisada are often very hard to understand. Here the syllables from the Kana alphabet are given in seven different ways. The context of the Kana is as follows:
Kana isn't a single alphabet but refers to two Japanese syllabaries, the Hiragana and Katakana phonetic scripts, where each symbol represents a syllable, developed from Chinese characters (Kanji) to simplify writing Japanese sounds, with Hiragana for native words/grammar and Katakana for foreign loanwords, emphasis, and onomatopoeia. Together, Hiragana and Katakana form the core phonetic system of Japanese, used alongside Kanji. The series is very similar to Nanatsu Iroha Shui ("After the seven Iroha") from the same year. The point of this very large series was to illustrate the calligraphic variations - seven in all - of the old kana phonetic alphabet. Each print represents one syllable - in this case ko - written in seven different ways as seen in the folding screen in the upper part of the print. The screen (reading from right to left) has a decorative cartouche of an animal mouth and repeated Toshidama seals. The screen proper has a blank face and then the four black faces with seven syllables in white calligraphy.
Most of the prints use scenes and characters from well known kabuki plays. In this case a scene from the story of Watonai, a Chinese exile living in Japan, from the kabuki drama Kokusen'ya Gassen. The exiled Chinese princess Sendan washes up on Watonai’s shore. Watonai is moved by the story of her father’s murder and her own tragedy and vows to reinstate her dynasty. They travel to China, and when they land, Watonai has to kill the tigers that roam the shore as well as the retainers of the newly installed Emperor. The plot twists in every way, through tragedy and intrigue, though the dynasty is restored and Watonai is victorious.
These prints are tremendously well printed, highly detailed and densely packed with imagery… generally underrated. This example is in very good condition, unbacked with fine colour and impression. Bottom margin trimmed.
Publisher: Minatoya Kohei.
36cm x 24cm.
