Antique Japanese Original Woodblock Diptych Print by Kunisada -Modern Genji- a Comparison of Figures in Edo Purple #6 c.1853
Presented is a beautiful Japanese full oban-size woodblock print, diptych, created by the renowned artist of the late Edo period, Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1864), also known as Kunisada I and Toyokuni III. He was one of the most prominent artists and printmakers during the late Edo era (1600-1864) and the most productive of all ukiyo-e artists - he had created about 20,000 images, each of them printed in several hundred prints.
This print is a diptych - a two-sheet print. It is titled Number 6 in the series of ten diptychs created by Utagawa Kunisada in 1852-53 as illustrations to the most popular novel published in 1829-42 called "A Rustic Genji by a Fraudulent Murasaki" (Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji), by Ryūtei Tanehiko (1783–1842). It reimagines Prince Genji as Ashikaga Mitsuuji, a dashing 15th-century samurai searching for stolen treasures, blending classical literature with Kabuki drama, urban pleasure quarters, and contemporary fashion.
The series is called "A comparison of figures in Edo Purple" (Edo murasaki sugata kurabe) - it means the artist set the 15th-century characters in a late Edo-era environment contemporary with him. The print shows many small, intricate details and gives us a picture of life in mid-1800s Japan.
The original story of Prince Genji came in the form of the most famous and cherished in Japan, the early medieval novel, Genji Monogatari, or the Tale of Genji. It was written by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting of the Imperial Court in the 11th century. The title of the series is playing with words - "murasaki" in Japanese means "purple', so the title refers to the original novel but illustrates the new popular parody. Kunisada was the original illustrator for the book published in 1829-42 in 17 volumes.
Prince Genji/Mitsuuji is coming out of his house to walk somewhere led by a woman with a lantern. A boy servant is bringing his geta sandals. Another woman - Mitsuuji's wife, most likely, is bringing his long katana sword. He carries his short wakizashi sword. Kunisada portrayed Prince Genji/Misuuji dressed in a purple kimono to make another reference to the original novel and the new parody.
The print was made using the Japanese woodblock technique in the 1850s during Kunisada's lifetime. Signed with Kunisada's signature (Kunisada hitsu) and stamped with the publisher's seal of Joshuya Kinzo, 1850s
The same diptych can be found in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). I have a scan of its web page - please take a look. The impression seems to come from the same exact woodblock.
AUTHOR: Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III)
PUBLISHER: Joshuya Kinzo
CREATED: 1853
TITLE: Number 6 - Scene from the Tale of Genji (descriptive title)
SERIES: A comparison of figures in Edo Purple
PAPER: washi paper
METHOD OF PRINTING: Woodblock printing
PRINTED: Lifetime printing circa early 1850s
PRINT SIZE: 15" X 19.5" two sheets combined
The condition is very good. Great, detailed impression, bright colors, very minimal toning, and some soiling of the paper. A symmetrical wormhole at the edges of both sheets, some pinholes as well. Margins are trimmed. Please see the pictures.
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