Cirque Soulie (Circus Soulie)

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Cirque Soulie = Surie ["Circus Soulie"]

Chōkōrō [Utagawa], Yoshiharu [illustrated by]. 

Bakurochō, [Tōkyō]: Yamaguchiya Tōbē, Meiji 5 [1872]. 

An ehon banzuke (illustrated program or playbill) for the misemono (exhibition/carnival) by the French equestrian circus Cirque Soulie. The circus, which performed at nine locations in Japan between Meiji 4 and 7, was run by Louis Soullier (1826-1897) (the figure illustrated by Utagawa Yoshiharu (1828-1888) on the upper wrapper). While the work is classed as an ehon banzuke, there is no text internally, allowing the captivating stunts depicted in the illustrations to advertise the show alone. The illustration on the upper wrapper, which integrates elements of Western typography and art, foreshadows the use of toba-e and/or Punch-esque illustrations (and Western motifs and characters) on the wrappers of early to mid-Meiji satirical periodicals. Yamaguchiya Tōbē, one of the publishers of Cirque Soulie, also published the hanshibon zasshi Tōsei Rikō Musume (1873). 

Yoshiharu was a pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi and good friends with the writer Kanagaki Robun and the artist Ochiai (Utagawa) Yoshiiku. He produced many kaika-e (illustrations of modernisation), among which his most famous is the Meiji 4 (1871) triptych of Cirque Soulie titled Furansu Daikyokuba, which featured text by Robun. Furansu Surie Karuwaza Daikyokuba, another triptych on the same theme, was produced by Yoshiharu in the same year. No copies traced in OCLC. 

One karitoji-bound volume, complete, on double leaves, traditional East Asian binding style (fukurotoji). Original wrappers very lightly soiled and creased. Leaves lightly creased also. Small hole to one leaf. [5] leaves including wrappers. 17.5 x 11.7 cm. 

Cirque Soulie (Circus Soulie)
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