Kōkoku Raimei no Shokun Mitate Chikara Kurabe

US$615.00

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"皇国雷名の諸君見立力競"

[Katsushika?], Masahisa [illustrated by].

Tōkyō : [publisher illegible], Meiji 15 [1882].

An engrossing triptych featuring over three hundred famous people engaged in bouts of kubihiki. Kubihiki was a Japanese game in which a looped string was placed around the necks of two people and a trial of strength would ensue. In this work, celebrities, almost all of whom are captioned with a name and profession, are paired with other celebrities whose fame and competence in the same or a rival field is comparable to theirs. For example, one man with the profession of painter is paired with a photographer, while two "Western studies" specialists are pitted against each other. The print also includes bouts featuring famous author and educator Fukuzawa Yukichi and artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. In the lower left-hand corner of the triptych Prince Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the 15th and last shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, can be seen taking on sixteen people at once in a tug-of-war. The artist of the triptych was probably Katsushika Masahisa, who is said to have started calling himself "Hokusai's successor" after visiting the great artist's grave, although it is unclear whether he was ever taught by Hokusai.

A creative print recording the biggest rivals of some of the most famous celebrities of the early to mid Meiji period.

One triptych (three leaves), complete. The leftmost and centre prints are partially conjoined at the margin where they have been mounted together on a piece of paper. Presumably the rightmost print, which is also mounted on paper but loose from the other prints, was once mounted together with them and later separated. Margins lightly trimmed. Minor wear, small marks, and chipping to extremities. Light soiling. Small sticker removal to lower righthand corner of rightmost print. Small scrape to white space in upper section of leftmost print. Overall very good to near fine. Each leaf measures approximately 35.4 x 23.5 cm. Text in Japanese.

Kōkoku Raimei no Shokun Mitate Chikara Kurabe
Price: $615.00 (USD)