Shunkô (= Shunkôsai Hokushû, tätig 1807-1832) / Shunchô (tätig 1815-1823)
The girl Okiyo, sitting at night on the dilapidated veranda of an old temple inn in front of a table with an incense burner, her pilgrim's hat behind her. From the left the hunter Kowari Dennai approaches, disguised as a wandering monk (Komusô). This scene shows the first meeting of the future fiancées.
A scene from the drama "Katakiuchi ura no asagiri" (Revenge on the bay in the morning fog), performed at the Naka theatre in Ôsaka in the 9th month of 1815. The role of Okiyo is played by the Onnagata Kanô Minshi I; and Arashi Kichisaburô II (Rikan), for whom the play was especially written, in the role of Dennai.
A collaboration of two artists (Gassaku); each of the two artists designed one of the two sheets.
Title: Musume Okiyo - Kanô Minshi / Kowari Dennai - Arashi Kichisaburô
Signature: Shunkô ga (right), Shunchô ga (left)
Publisher: Shiochô (Shioya Chôbei), Ôsaka
Date: 1815, 9th month
Size: Ôban diptych, each c. 37.5 x 25.5 cm
Excellent impression and very good colours, partly faded. Bottom margins a little bit trimmed. Unbacked, separate sheets. A weak vertical centrefold in the right sheet. Along margins some small restored pinholes. Weak creases, unobtrusive stains (only visible from verso), outer bottom corners creased and rubbed, reinforced from back in left corner. Fine short old red hand-drawn lines at the eyes and in the incense burner’ smoke. Some restorations and retouchings. Overall still very good condition.
An extremely rare variant of the diptych, likely the first edition. The most striking difference to the usualy encountered version certainly are the signatures, here white on black background (else black in white cartouches). Obviously - and for unknown reasons - the complete blocks for the deep black were recut, with many more distinct changes, as in the writing on the left, the grasses below, and in numerous other details; moreover, the register of the black with the other blocks becomes less accurate. There are also numerous other small changes in the other version, for example one line is missing in one of Dennai’s sleeves, the lower kimono of becomes plain instead of patterned as here, etc.; all together leading us to the conclusion that the present version is the earlier one.
So far the only illustration of this version (only of the left sheet!) in: Keyes, The Theatrical World of Osaka Prints,Philadelphia, 1973, p. 249, No 352; cf. also the online collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, No 1971-135-5 (incorrectly as Katsukawa Shunchô).
All the other collections show the other version: cf. Philadelphia Museum of Art, No 1969-208-189 (the right-hand sheet). Theatre Prints from the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University, vol. 4 and 5, Actor Prints in the former period 1 and 2, 1995, No 4-088 (Chirimen print). Gerstle et al, Kabuki Heroes on the Osaka stage, London 2005, p. 157, no. 121. Lühl, Treasures of the Kamigata, Luxembourg, 2012, p. 186, no. 390. Hankyu Bunka Coll., 大H319-01, 大H319-02; Lyon Collection https://woodblockprint.org/index.php/Detail/objects/1225 (accessed 23.09.2020)
sold