JAPANESE PRINTS

A MILLION QUESTIONS

TWO MILLION MYSTERIES

Ukiyo-e Prints

浮世絵版画

Port Townsend, Washington

A CLICKABLE

INDEX/GLOSSARY

(Hopefully this will be an ever changing and growing list.)

A THRU Bl

The gold koban coin on a blue ground is being used to mark additions made in June 2008. The red on white kiku mon was used in May.

TERMS FOUND ON THIS PAGE:

Ageboshi, Ageha no cho, Ai, Aigami, Aizuri-e, Aka-e, Amagatsu, Amanojaku,

Ame, Andon, Ankō, Aoi, Aragoto, Arashi Kitsusaburō II,Aratame, Araumi,

Ariake andon, Asagao, Asanoha, Asanohamon, Ashikaga Yorikane,

Augustus the Strong, Awase, Ayame, Merrily Baird,

Bamboo (Take), Bamboo & Sparrows (Takesuzume), Bandō Hikosaburō III,
Bandō Mitsugorō v, Bandō Mitsugorō III, Bandō Shūka I, Bangasa, Baren,

 Baren-sujizuri, Bat motif, Bekkō, Bengara, Beni-e, Beni-girai, Ben(zai)ten,

Bero-ai, Bijin, Bishamon, Bishamonkikkō, Blue and white porcelain

揚帽子, 揚羽蝶, 藍, 藍紙, 藍摺絵, 赤絵, 天児, 天邪鬼, 雨, アメリカ原住民, 行灯,

鮟鱇, 葵, 荒事, 嵐橘三郎, 改, 荒海, 有明行灯, 朝顔, 麻の葉,

麻の葉文, 足利頼錦, 袷, 菖蒲, 竹, 竹雀, 三世坂東彦三郎,

五世坂東彦三郎, 坂東三津五郎, 坂東しうか, 番傘, 馬連, 鼈甲,

紅絵, 紅嫌い, 弁(財)天, ベロ藍, 美人, 毘沙門, 毘沙門亀甲

あげぼうし, あげはのちょう, あい, あいがみ, あいずりえ, あかえ, あまがつ,

あまのじゃく, あめ, あんどん, あんこう, あおい, あらごと, あらし.きつさぶろう,

あらため, あらうみ, ありあけあんどん, あさがお, あさのは, あさのはもん,

あしかが.よりかね, アウグストⅡ世, あわせ, あやめ, たけ, たけすずめ,

ばんどう.ひこさぶろう, ばんどう.ひこさぶろう, ばんどう.みつごろう,

ばんどう.しうか, ばんがさ, ばれん, べっこう, ベンガラ, べにえ, べにぎらい,

べん(ざい)てん, びじん, びしゃもん and  びしゃもん.きっこう

TERM/NAME

KANJI/KANA

DESCRIPTION/

DEFINITION/

CATEGORY

Click on the yellow numbers

to go to linked pages.

Age-bōshi

揚帽子

あげぼうし

A head cloth worn by women to keep their oiled hair clean from dust and properly coiffed during an outing. Very similar to the headdress worn by a bride. (See our entry on tsunokakushi.)

The image to the left is a detail from a print by Kiyonaga showing an actor in the role of a female samurai.

Ageha no cho

揚羽蝶

あげはのちょう

"...a  butterfly with its wings raised...was the alternate crest of Segawa Kikunojo."

Ai

藍

あい

Japanese indigo from the plant Polygonum tinctorium or dyer's knotweed - it is also referred to as tade ai: Indigo as a color can be produced from any number of plants, but here we are limiting ourselves to just one which was frequently used as a colorant in woodblock prints and fabrics. In Kosode: 16Th-19th Century Textiles from the Nomura Collection: 16th-19th Century Textiles from the Nomura Collection by Amanda Mayer Stinchecum (pp. 202-3) notes that this plant grows throughout Japan, but especially in Shikoku. The leaves which contain indigotin and should be harvested in July through September and in November before flowering. The fresh leaves should be fermented or dried and/or composted.

In the earliest times the Japanese indigo leaves were chopped up in water. Later during the Nara-Heian periods they were fermented in water. During the Edo period they were fermented in lye water combined with other ingredients.

The resultant colors ranged from a pale to bright blue according to the number of leaves per quantity of water. Combined with other dyes a larger range of colors could be produced including lavender, fake purple and black.

In a web page posted by the University of Bristol "...Dr. David Hill of the School of Biological Sciences describes his quest to provide the modern world with a natural alternative to synthetic dyes." This is fascinating stuff. Especially his information about the source of indigo itself: "Indigo producing plants do not actually contain indigo but the leaves of these plants before they flower contain a substance which, when extracted from the leaf, forms indigo by absorbing oxygen from the air. Indigo is notoriously insoluble in nearly all commonly used solvents, and especially in water, so the indigo formed in the extracts settles out as a precipitate quite easily."

That might explain something I noticed while researching this subject. While searching for additional material to post here I ran across a beautiful page in English from a German language web site operated by Dorothea Fischer. After a brief correspondence she gave me permission to post the three images to the left. However, for a fuller and richer understanding of the entire process - especially as it pertains to fabrics, but clearly not greatly removed from the methods for producing early ukiyo indigo inks -

I would urge you to visit her web page devoted to this topic. It is astounding.

http://www.lustauffarben.de/faerben-faerberknoeterich-englisch.html

I want to thank Ms. Fischer - and her friend Friedl who helped in our correspondence - for her contribution in creating this entry.

There is a fascinating scientific article published in 2006 by the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistryentitled:

"Non-Destructive Identification of Blue Colorants in Ukiyo-e Prints by Visible-Near Infrared  Reflection Spectrum Obtained with a Portable Spectrophotomer Using Fiber Optics".

They inspected a set of prints from the "36 Views of Fuji" by Hokusai dated ca. 1830-33. Using a non-invasive technique they studied the use of aigami, ai (indigo) and the imported colorant Prussian blue.

What they discovered was amazing - at least for me. The keyblocks were all printed with indigo "...while all color blocks were printed with Prussian blue." Prior to this study it had been assumed that all

of the keyblock lines had also been Prussian blue, but clearly this was not the case. While this information may not interest everyone it is nevertheless remarkable for what it tells us about  the production

of what may be the most famous series of Japanese prints ever. The same exact technique was used for Hokusai's famous waterfall series Shokoku taki meguri. There were no exceptions.

Both examples shown here are details from the Fuji series.

One last point: The scientists who wrote this article refer to the source of indigo as knotweed, i.e., Polygonum tinctorium, and not as dyer's knotweed as mentioned above.

Aigami

藍紙

あいがみ

An early organic blue made from the dayflower. It fades quickly. Sometimes it fades to an olive gray. (See 'dayflower' listed below.) 1

Aizuri-e

藍摺絵

あいずりえ

Images printed predominantly in shades of blue. The image to the left is by Eisen and dates from the first half of the 19th century and the Hasui below is from 1933. 1

In Matthi Forrer's book Hokusai (published by Rizzoli in 1988) he praises the boldness shown by Nishimura-ya Yohachi in marketing a series of prints using the costly, imported indigo dye. In 1831 the publisher announced the upcoming series in an advertisement in a novel by Ryūtei Tanehiko: "The thirty-six views of mount Fuji, by the old man zen Hokusai Iitsu, single sheet prints in blue impressions, each sheet featuring one design - now being published." (p. 263) "The note on thecoloring of the series is of particular interest. The term used in the original, aizuri, or 'indigo printing', in fact refers to a new pigment which only became available for woodblock prints close to 1830. However, there are examples of earlier use of this color, often called berurin [べルリン] burau (Berlin blue or Prussian blue). In the second half of the eighteenth century, for example, various painting manuals already make mention of it, sometimes adding that it was hard to come by, since it was imported through the Dutch. In woodblock prints, it appears by exception only, probably first on Osaka surimono from the mid 1810s and the first half of the 1820s. By 1829, the pigment was also available in edo and first used in surimono - where, of course, the matter of costs had not to be taken into serious consideration. Anyway, it still must have been a very precious material and that the commercial publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi dared to announce such a large series employing the novelty, makes the whole undertaking all the more prestigious. Almost by consequence, it may be assumed that the prints were aimed at a small and select audience, willing to pay the accordingly high price. The circumstance that, up to then, a series of pure landscapes of this scope had never been attempted - certainly a risky decision for any publisher to take - should only enhance our admiration for Nishimuraya." (p. 264)

"Prussian blue, I may add, seems to have been employed experimentally form the 1790s but was widely imported only form about the year 1829. The use of this pigment... began with privately issued surimono-prints, and was then extended to fan-prints (mainly) by the artist Eisen). The fashion soon spread to figure-prints as well and, within a year or so, to the landscape, in Hokusai's new series. For the aficionado of the earlier Japanese print, it may be difficult to understand why this 'foreign', mineral colour should so suddenly usurp the place of the delicate and lovely blue pigments that had been favoured hitherto - in. for instance, the prints of Harunobu and Utamaro. The first reason for its adoption was simply the characteristic Japanese love for new things, and their near worship of imported goods. At the same time, the native, vegetable dyes were often fugitive, and blue was particularly susceptible to fading. (Today, indeed, collectors and museums often refuse to lend their early pirnts for extended exhibition, for this very reason.)"

Quoted from: Hokusai: Life and Work, by Richard Lane, E. P. Dutton, 1989, pp. 184-5.

"Prussian blue was not first introduced in Edo. In the 1820s Japan was still closed to foreign trade, and European products all entered Japan through the Dutch settlement in the port of Nagasaki. The first use of Prussian blue on a woodblock print is on the cap of the immortal in a privately published surimono printed in Osaka in the spring of 1825..."

Quote from: Japanese Woodblock Prints: A Catalogue of the Mary A. Ainsworth Collection, by Roger Keyes, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, 1984, p. 42.

Roger Keyes says that the first use of Prussian blue on a woodblock print may have shown up on the cap of an immortal riding a crane. This appears on a surimono by Nagayama Kōin (長山孔寅 or ながやま.こういん) "...printed in Osaka in the spring of 1825". Ibid.

In the catalogue entry #439 on p. 185 of the Ainsworth collection Keyes notes that this print was produced to honor the retirement of the actor Nakamura Utaemon III. This "...print is of special historical interest since Prussian blue seems to be used ont ehimmortal's cap and this color, which is used in so many landscape prints, is said not to have been introduced in Edo until 1828."

Sebastian Izzard in his Kunisada's World (p. 29) provides additional information: "A feature of these prints is the occasional use of Bero-ai - that is, Berlin, or Prussian, blue. The exact date when the synthetic pigment was first imported into Japan by the Dutch is not known. The ukiyo-e scholar Yoshida Teruji quotes an Edo bookseller and haiku poet Seisōdō Tōho as saying in a book of essays that Prussian blue was introduced in 1829 (Bunsei 12) by the artist Ōoka Umpō (1765-1848), who used it in a surimono. Soon afterwards it was taken up by all the surimono artists. Seeing the popularity of these prints, the fan-print publisher Iseya Sōbei first used the pigment the following year on prints by Keisai Eisen. ¶ While Tōho's reminiscence may be true for completely blue-printed works (aizuri-e) - an aizuri-e fan print by Kunisada is seal-dated 5/1830... Bero-ai in fact appears to have been used even earlier, but only in small areas of design and normally to delineate luxury products and accessories. In Kunisada's work the earliest such use appears to be in a painting of 1822-23... Kunisada's fan print of 1825... and an Osaka surimono of the same year have the blue, again in limited areas. The blue is also found on prints collected by Philipp Franz von Siebold, a member of the Dutch trading mission at Dejima island from 1823 until 1829. The pristine quality of these prints is such that von Siebold probably acquired them directly from the publishers when he made an official visit to Edo in 1826... ¶ From all the evidence it seems likely that when first brought in by the Dutch, the synthetic pigment was a luxury, high-priced import. This would explain why it is first found on paintings and then on elaborate, surimono-style prints created for the connoisseur market..., and in small areas of expensive early editions of full-size prints... With the success of the color and its import in greater amounts, the price would have fallen, enabling publishers to use it for monochromatic blue prints."

Aka-e

赤絵

あかえ

Images printed predominantly in shades of red. These prints were often sold  door-to-door by monkey trainers in the 18th c. as talismans against smallpox. This is interesting because monkeys were often kept in stables to ward off horse diseases. It is even said that sometime samurai who wanted to spy on their enemy's camp would pose as monkey trainers just to gain admittance.

Also referred to as hōsō-e (疱瘡絵 or ほうそうえ) or smallpox pictures. Originally used in China they were adopted in Japan and often featured images of Shoki, the Demon Queller. His image was also shown on the fifth day of the fifth month or Boy's Day as a similar talisman for warding off evil spirits.

As you can tell from the detail of the Shigemasa (重政 or しげまさ) image to the left a hōsō-e can illustrate something other than a Shoki. In this case it is a Daruma and an owl and an object I can't identify yet.

Akahime

赤姫

あかひめ

"Red princess": There is a sub-subcategory of female theatrical characters referred to as akahime. "The term is used because so many kabuki princesses and samurai daughters wear red, long-sleeved kimono.... The costume, a kabuki invention having no relation with what actual princesses wore, consists of a robe (uchikake) worn over a kimono of red-figured silk or crepe on which designs of flowers, cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums, clouds, a pattern of long-tailed birds called onagadori, and flowing water are embroidered in gold and silk. The kimono is held together by a brilliant gold brocade obi; at the rear of the obi is a long hanging bow. The wig is a fukiwa type with a large silver flower comb attached to it."

Quoted from: New Kabuki Encyclopedia: A Revised Adaptation of kabuki jiten, compiled by Samuel L. Leiter, 1997, p. 8.

Professor Leiter also pointed out that such a princess "...is typically a physically weak, emotionally vulnerable young lady... She is normally in love with a handsome young lord."

Ibid.

The top image to the left represents Sakurahime by Toyokuni III and the one below is from a Yoshitaki print featuring Yaegakihime. Click on the numbers to the right to see the full images.

1, 2

Amagatsu

天児

あまがつ

"A girl received a dagger (mikabashi [ みかばし?]) at birth, as a protective talisman. Another protective device was the godchild (amagatsu), a doll that served the same purpose as [a] purification doll... The child was supposed to transfer into the doll any evil influence that could harm her." She would keep the doll until about her third year. Also, many dolls served the purpose of absorbing evil spirits in early Japan.

Quoted from: The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Royall Tyler (ロイヤル・タイラー), published by Viking, vol. 1, 2001, p. 350, note #7.

This translation by Royall Tyler is a remarkable accomplishment and a great source for additional material about the world of the Heian period.

Jane Marie Law in Puppets of Nostalgia published by Princeton University Press in 1997 (p. 35) said: "Amagatsu [heavenly infants] in Heian Japan and continuing until the present, various dolls or effigies have been widely used as substitutes for fetuses, infants, and children to protect them from evil influences and disease."

"They are generically called o-san ningyō (birthing dolls)."

These figures are also referred to as katashiro (形代 or かたしろ) or 'substitute figures'.

Sara Francis Fujimura in the January 2006 issue of "Appleseeds" noted that the amagatsu given to a boy at birth stayed with him until he became an adult and then it was burned and the ashes were buried. Baby girls received hōko (這子 or ほうこ). These had "...a soft, white silk body, and a wooden head and spine..." which they kept with them into married life. In ancient times the owner would blow on the doll or rub it against their body to transfer evil spirits from them into this substitute object. Sometimes they would throw them into river to wash away the bad luck.

In Ningyō: The Art of the Human Figurine Shigeki Kawakami states that amagatusu were being made by Heian times. "There are no extant examples of amagatsu from before the Middle Ages, but even those made during the Edo period remained faithful to the original designs. Amagatsu are made with cylindirical sticks arranged into a T-shape - expressive of a body and arms - onto which a white, silk cloth-covered head is attached." Kawakami continues: "Hōko are white silk dolls stuffed with cotton. Their production is detailed in a work about childbirth form Muromachi period entitled, O-san-no-Kishiki. The name hōko means 'crawling baby,' and its form represents crawling posture of an infant." These dolls were traditionally made on the same day as the birth. "By the time of the Edo period, these two types of figurines were treated as a pair; amagatsu came to represent boys, and hōko, girls." (Japan Society, Inc., 1995, p. 11)

In The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon (translated by Ivan Morris, Penguin Books, 1979, footnot 229, p. 314) there is an interesting refence to a royal birth: "The delivery of a Heian Empress, however, was attended by a good deal of impressive ceremonial. Religious services took place for several days in the Imperial birth chamber, and the birth itself was witnessed by numerous white-clad courtiers. Thsi was follow by ceremonial bathing, after which a sword and a tiger's head were shaken in front of the infant and rice scattered about the room - all to keep evil spirits at bay."

Amanojaku

天邪鬼

あまのじゃく

The devil figure beneath a temple guardian; a perverse person. In the glossary section of The Yanagita Kunio Guide to the Japanese Folk Tale, edited and translated by Fanny Hagin Mayer, amanojaku is said to be "A demon with feminie attributes." Matsumae Takeshi in "The Origin and Growth of the Worship of Amaterasu" argues that before there was the myth of the sun goddess there were a number of other myths popular among the people. In one of them the a giant, Amanojaku, played a good role. At that time there were seven suns in the sky which all appeared together creating great heat. So, Amanojaku, using a bow and arrows shot down all but one of these. In The Yanagita Kunio Guide to the Japanese Folk Tale (Indiana University Press, 1989, pp. 5-6) there is the legend of Urikohime (瓜子姫 or うりこひめ) or the Melon Maid. In this version an old woman finds a melon floating down a river. When she and her husband open it a beautiful little girl appears. As she grows larger she weaves every day. After a number of years the old couple decide to their 'daughter' to the village shrine festival. They go into town to buy a sedan chair to carry Urikohime in. While away an amanojaku comes along and urges that the young weaver let her in which she does. Once inside the amanojaku overpowers the Melon Maid, leads her outside, strips her and ties her to a persimmon tree. When the elderly couple return they find what they think is their 'daughter' sitting in her usual place weaving away as always. "They put who they thought was Urikohime into the chair and set out for the shrine, but the real Urikohime cried out from behind the persimmon tree, 'Don't put Urikohime in the chair! Only give the amanojaku a ride.' Greatly surprised, the old man cut off the head of the amanojaku and threw it into the millet patch. The stalk of millet is red because of this."

Ame

雨

あめ

Rain

Carlos F., one of our friendly contributors, suggested that we add a section on rain. He sent us the detailed image above. It is by Yoshitoshi.. We have added the detail of the frogs in the rain by Kuniyoshi to the left. The  full print shows little frogs just above the signature. Below the Kuniyoshi is a detail from a Kunisada print. In time we will add commentary about rain in general and how it was viewed within traditional Japanese culture. This is just our preliminary entry.

I want to thank Carlos for making this suggestion and others which will be added to this site later.

All of the standard dictionaries translate amagaeru (雨蛙 or あまがえ) as tree frog. However, Mock Joya refers to it as a rain frog and that translation is certainly commonsensical. "There are many kinds of frogs in the country. There are grotesque toads, to which are attributed evil spirits. Ao-gaeru, or green frogs are also called ama-gaeru or rain frogs, and it is said that their singing will bring rain." I have no way of knowing if the rain and the green frogs in this picture are an example of this belief, but they may be.

Quoted from: Mock Joya's Things Japanese, p. 147.

Amerindian(s)

アメリカ原住民

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term Amerind was not coined until circa 1900 many years after the creation of the images seen to the left. When Sadahide (1807-1873) drew his vision of native born Americans it probably didn't matter to him what they were called. Clearly he was working from a foreign model.

Fanciful concepts of foreigners were nothing new to the Japanese. Europeans were originally referred to as namban (南蛮 or なんばん) which literally translates as 'southern barbarians.' Even after the forced opening of Japan representations of foreigners were often rather exotic. For example, the image at the bottom shows a hirsute, newborn baby boy in his bath. At that time many Japanese believed that a child born of a Japanese mother and a foreign father would come out of the womb looking and acting like this.  (Medieval Europeans believed that when Jesus was born he could walk, talk and read and why not?)

Before you are too quick to think the Japanese overly ignorant and superstitious drag out your copy of Herodotus. In Book IV of his "History" he describes a race of people who are born totally bald, flat nosed  and with extremely long chins and who grow up that way. This was true of both sexes. But Herodotus was not completely gullible when he stated that "...these bald-headed men say (though I do not believe it) that the mountains are inhabited by men with goats' feet; and that after one has passed beyond these, others are found who sleep through six months of the year." Even this stretched his credulity.

Our great correspondent E. sent us the Sadahide images. E. said: "Leafing through some oddments the other day, I found this double-page bookplate by Sadahide and thought of you! From an 1855 book Meriken shinshi ' News from America' it purports to show how they perceived the native Americans. I don't really think that it will add anything to your index/glossary but I thought you might be amused."

Well, I was obviously more than amused and even though E. is right it doesn't add a lot to these pages I just felt it was too good to pass up. Thanks E!

Andon

行灯

( or 行燈)

あんどん

Lantern: "...an ancient type of night lamp, consisting of a square or round frame of wood covered with strong rice papaer, the top and obttom being open. It is lit with rapeseed oil and a rush-weed wick on an oil plate inside. It is not used today except as a decoration."

Quote from: Dictionary Japanese Culture, by Setsuko Kojima and Gene A. Crane, Heian International, Inc., 1991, p. 9.

Tōrō (灯籠 or とうろう) is the generic term for lantern. Andons are only one type. "Smaller standing lanterns, usually made of iron, are known as andon. Andon became poular during the Edo period (1600-1868) for interior illumination, especially within the home. They usually rest on four legs and have cut-out designs decorating their sides... ¶Andon come in many different shapes and sizes and serve a decorative as well as utilitarian function. Some andon are made of paper with a rigid wooden frame and open top. These usually contained lamps burning rapeseed oil or candles; the modern version is often wired for electricity. One of their most attractive features is the oil plate (aburazara [油皿 or あぶらざら]) designed to catch the dripping oil; these are often decorated with beautiful pictorial designs and are highly valued today."

Quote from: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, vol. 4, p. 368, entry by Nakasato Toshikatsu.

See also our entry on chōchin to contrast the difference between the andon and the hanging lantern.

Ankō

鮟鱇

あんこう

A fish which is referred to by several names: Anglerfish, monkfish, frogfish, et al. An ugly bottom-feeder which was eaten  in pre-modern times "...by the common people, especially in Edo (now Tokyo)..." to welcome the arrival of winter.

Kodanasha Encyclopedia of Japan, vol. 1, 1983, p. 56.

This fish served as an element/prop in certain early, i.e., late 18th c. kabuki plays where they are seen being carried by a string. They are still used in modern cooking. One web site had a great photo of Julia Child preparing one of those ugly suckers. (We will add images when or if they become available.)

Aoi

葵

あおい

Hollyhock - often used as a decorative motif or as a family crest or mon. The hollyhock is a native Japanese plant which came to be associated with the Kamo Shrine in Kyoto and through that connection it acquired a sacred significance. Because of that quite a few families devoted to that shrine adapted the motif as their own personal crests.

Source: The Elements of Japanese Design by John Dower (pp. 58-59)

Taxonomy, morphology and semiotics are all concepts I have trouble grasping - among a whole host of others. That is why I struggle over almost each and every entry I have made on these pages. For what seems like ages I have accepted that aoi (葵) is as Dower states the simple hollyhock. In this case the Alcea rosea. However, as I started to dig deeper I found that the hollyhock is often referred more specifically to as the tachiaoi (立葵 or たちあおい) and no matter how much I looked I couldn't find leaves which looked enough like the ones in the crests to the left. That is until I ran across another aoi, the futbaaoi (双葉葵 or ふたばあおい) which is the Asarum caulescens. We know it as wild ginger.

The image of the plant is from the web site operated by Shu Suehiro at: http://www.botanic.jp/index.htm

The Matsudaira (松平 or まつだいら), a "Patronymic name of a certain number of families, related to the Tokugawa...[徳川 or とくがわ]" used several variations of this crest as their own.

Quote from: Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan, by E. Papinot, published by Tuttle, 1992, p. 355.

Aragoto

荒事

あらごと

Rough style: "The expression aragoto is an abbreviation of aramushagoto, which means litterally "the reckless warrior matter". This is in fact a Kabuki bombastic style exagerrating all the aspects of the role (acting, wig, make-up (kumadori), costumes, dialogues, oversized swords) to portray valiant warriors, fierce gods or demons. This style was created in Edo by Ichikawa Danjûrō I and is considered a "familly art" for this line of actors. It is the opposite style of the soft wagoto created by Sakata Tōjûrō I in Kamigata."
 

This quote is taken directly from the Kabuki 21 web site. (Click on the yellow highlighted link to be taken to their home page. The quote is from their Kabuki Glossary: A thru C page.) Personally I consider this the best site in English to be found on the Internet. Maybe the best in any language. This is a resource which should be used by anyone and everyone interested in kabuki/theatrical prints/Japanese culture in general. Thanks Kabuki 21!

The image to the left is an actor in the role of the priest Narukami by Toyokuni III.

Arashi Kitsusaburō II

嵐橘三郎

あらし.きつさぶろう

Kabuki actor (1788-1837). Aka as Arashi Tokusaburō and Arashi Rikan II. 1

Aratame

改

あらため

Censor's seal used between 1853 and 1857. It means "examined."

Araumi

荒海

あらうみ

A decorative pattern of roiling waves and foam. The image to left has been sent to us by an anonymous collector in Switzerland. Thanks!

Ariake andon

有明行灯

ありあけあんどん

A morning lantern. 'Ariake' represents the moon left in the sky at dawn.

Asagao

朝顔

あさがお

Morning glory.

The photograph of the white morning glories comes from a web site run by someone who calls herself Paghat the Rat Girl. It is a wonderful site and I feel a kinship with her because she marries natural beauty with literary beauty, folklore and history. This is very much what I am trying to do for Japanese prints. Click on the photo to go to her specific page on morning glories and then explore the rest of her site. It is wonderful and who doesn't love nature?

The details above and below the photograph are from a print by Kuniyoshi. Click on the number to the right to go to that page. 1

The morning glory or Ipomoea nil : Supposedly May 1, 1753 Linnaeus named this genus Ipomoea, but so far I don't know why or how he chose this name. I say supposedly because the history of plant names has more twists and turns than the vine itself. Actually it may have been 1763, but that is not the point of this entry.

Last night, January 29, 2008, I was reading Japanese Tales which was edited and translated by Royall Tyler. (Pantheon Books, 1987.) He made a reference to the use of morning glory seeds as a diarrhetic. I slept on that and this morning I started thinking about that passage. During my younger days I often heard that morning glory seeds were used as a hallucinogen. The same was said to be true of the wild woodrose.  Carlos Castenada in his Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge sang the praises of plants as a vehicle for spiritual expansion. His books were extremely popular with a large section of the college crowd. Aldous Huxley told us about The Doors of Perception. Then there was toad licking. Even the Simpsons had an episode about that. But nowhere, not here, not there, were morning glories ever referenced as a diarrhetic.

We all know the basis of folk medicine and how it frequently did the job. Today we live in a society divided into various factions some of which believe heart-and-soul in the 'natural path' while others rely completely on chemically engineered pharmaceuticals. The third way is probably more common. However, despite all of the marvels of the Internet I could find no direct references to the use of crushed morning glory seeds as a diarrhetic even though I probed to the depths and bowels of each and every search engine available to me.

The story which Royall Tyler translates so capably mentions other ingredients combined with the crushed morning glory seeds: Salted fish and wine which was made both "...cloudy and sour." Perhaps that combination was just enough to do its magic. I remain skeptical and don't plan on performing any experiments on myself or anyone else for that matter. Maybe it is just a story.

The source of Tyler's translation is from the Konjaku monogatrishū (今昔物語集 or こんじゃくものがたりしゅう) or "Tales of Times Now Past" from ca. 1100.

Asanoha

麻の葉

あさのは

Hemp: A common stylized motif used in family crests. "Often identified as one of the five basic crops or 'grains' of ancient China, the hemp or flax plant played both sacred and profane roles in Japan."

Quoted from: The Elements of Japanese Design by John Dower, p. 58.

Although the examples I am able to show here look like stars Dower does show a couple of mons which are far closer to a realistic representation of the plant. Also note the entry immediately below this one for comparison.

Asanohamon

麻の葉文

あさのはもん

A repetitive 'six pointed star' decorative pattern based on a stylized hemp plant. The top example is a detail from a print by Eizan and the bottom one from a print by Kunichika.

Ashikaga Yorikane

足利頼錦

あしかが.よりかね

Historical figure who appears in kabuki 1

Augustus the Strong

アウグストⅡ世

Elector of Saxony and King of Poland (1670-1733).

Augustus had a passion for Chinese and Japanese porcelains, but was spending enormous sums on acquiring them. In fact they were worth more than their weight in gold. As a result he imprisoned the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger who had escaped from Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia (普魯西 or ぷろしゃ). Böttger (ベトガー) was ordered to create gold to pay for Augustus's lavish lifestyle. However, in time it occurred to the Elector that it might be better if Böttger worked on re-creating hard paste porcelain. After years of trial and error he succeeded and the manufacture of 'true' porcelain was off and running at Meissen (マイセン). Although the secret of this product was referred to the arcanum and revealing it could mean a death sentence the news spread quickly and porcelain factories popped up in numerous competitive duchies and principalities. 1

Awase

袷

あわせ

An awase is a lined, winter kimono. Its counterpart is the hitoe or unlined, summer kimono.

Traditionally four times a year the Japanese celebrated the seasonal changes by a formal change of clothes. For example, Spring officially ended with the Boy's Festival on the fifth day of the fifth month and Summer began on the sixth day. These changes were referred to as koromogae (衣替え or ころもがえ). "The seasonal change of dress was strictly observed by the Imperial Court since very early days, under fixed rules." During the Tokugawa era the government followed suit. "...people wore katabira [帷子 or かたびら] or summer unlined dress from May 5; awase or lined dress from September 1; wataire [綿入れ or わたいれ] or cotton stuffed dress from September 9, and again awase from April 1, the next year."

Source and quotes: Mock Joya's Things Japanese, p. 29.

Ayame

菖蒲

あやめ

There are quite a few different terms describing iris plants and their flowers. Ayame refers to either the iris flower or the Siberian iris (Iris sanguinea).

The detail to the left is from a Hasui print.

Baird, Merrily

Author of Symbols of Japan 1, 2

Bamboo (Take)

竹

たけ

One of the "Four Gentlemen" or Shikunshi which are flowers which mirror positive human traits. The other three are plum, orchid and chrysanthemum. Borrowed from the Chinese and linked to confucian concepts. 1

Bamboo & Sparrows 

(Takesuzume)

竹雀

たけすずめ

Motif  1, 2

Bandō Hikosaburō III

三世坂東彦三郎

ばんどう.ひこさぶろう

Kabuki actor (1751-1828). 1

Bandō Hikosaburō V

五世坂東彦三郎

ばんどう.ひこさぶろう

Kabuki actor (1833-77). He took this stage name in 1856. Extremely popular and versatile. Able to play a wide range of roles. 1, 2, 3

Bandō Mitsugorō III

坂東三津五郎

ばんどう.みつごろう

Kabuki actor (1773-1831). He received the name Mitsugorô in 1799. 1

Bandō Shūka I

坂東しうか

ばんどう.しうか

Kabuki actor (1812-1855). He took this stage name in 1832. The 'Shūka" part is spelled only in kana characters. Posthumously he was named

Bandô Mitsugorô V. One of the two most popular Edo actors in the 1840s & 1850s.

Bangasa

番傘

ばんがさ

A crude umbrella made with oiled paper which often carried advertising for a shop or other business. "The syllable ban (number) in the word bangasa derives from the fact that these cheap umbrellas were often numbered by rental shops for purposes of identitfication." Quote from Julia Meech's entry in Rain and Snow: The Umbrella in Japanese Art, cat. entry #17.

Baren

馬連

ばれん

This is the most important tool used in woodblock printmaking. The printer rubs the back of a sheet of paper which has been laid down over an inked block.

Baren-sujizuri

Baren-sujizuri is the term which describes one of my favorite effects on Japanese prints. Not obvious on all of them occasionally these markings are made more pronounced as in the examples seen to the left. Here one can clearly see the touch points of the baren as it was applied in a circular motion to the back of the sheet lying against an inked board. The print is by Torii Kotondo (1900-76 鳥居言人 or とりい.ことんど).

These examples were sent to me by my good friend M.

By and large bats are used as a very positive motif indicating something propitious like happiness.

In the image to the left of the bat is paired with a blue and white manji, i.e., swastika motif.  Happiness is joined here to long life.

The blue and white manji decorated under-robes are often seen in ukiyo-e prints featuring 'good' people as opposed to villains or as George W. Bush would say 'evil doers'.

This image was sent to us courtesy of our friend M. Thanks M!

鼈甲

べっこう

"Bekko-zaiku or tortoise-shell work is one of the handicrafts of Japan that developed in the earliest period, and reached its highest stage of perfection in Edo days."

"When the scale [i.e., the shell] is heated it becomes soft, and then the thin upper layer is peeled off. This thin layer which is almost transparent is used for making various artistic and valuable things. By pressing, it can be made to take various shapes."

"...the popular use of bekko seems to have developed in Tokugawa days in the 17th century when women's way of hair dressing changed.

Combs and kogai (hair fasteners came to be made of bekko. Kogai which was at first only a simple long stick became elaborate. There were kogai of silver, gold, ivory and other materials, but bekko kogai was the most expensive, as it had elaborate ornamental pieces at both ends, made to represent flowers, butterflies and other shapes."

Quotes from: Mock Joya's Things Japanese, p. 1.

Bekkō "...pieces are soaked in water for softning, layered, then shaped over wet wood and pressed between metal iron molds heated to between 100 and 150ºC (212º-304ºF). It can also be softened by heat before being molded into shape. These techniques are uniquely Japanese."

Quoted from: Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, vol. 8, p. 80, entry by Nakasato Toshikatsu. 1

Bengara

ベンガラ

Bengara is the name of the deep red used on torii, bridges and other sacred elements at Shinto shrines. Its use was not restricted to these shrines, but it is there that it plays its most distinctive role. Bengara is the Japanese pronunciation of Bengal where an iron oxide rich soil was found which produces this particular color.

I want to thank a new contributor K. for bringing this term to my attention. Thanks K!

The doctored image to the left is from a print by Yoshitoshi. I altered it to emphasize the dramatic red of the bridge. 1

Beni-e

紅絵

べにえ

An early form of hand painted Japanese print where the dominant color is the red derived from the petals of the safflower plant or dyer's thistle (Carthamus tinctorius). 

Rebecca Salter notes that beni was a very fugitive color. It was "mixed with an acidic liquid derived from the half-dried outer layer of the stones of Japanese plums (ume) and allowed to ferment. The mixture is then dried into cakes in the sun. From around 1715 it was used in hand-colouring enen though it was almost as expensive as gold. It seems the brushes used were not washed for that reason!"

Other cultures used equally or more expensive materials in producing artworks. The Europeans, for example, used lapis lazuli which was worth more than its weight in gold to make a celestial blue color.

Quoted from: Japanese Woodblock Printing, by Rebecca Salter, University of Hawai'i Press, 2001, p. 27.

To the left are three details from a single, beni-e print by Shigenaga illustrating a party of people gathered for cherry blossom viewing. Dating from the 1720s to 30s this is an extremely rare print. At some point we will devote a separate page to it where you will be able to see it in a larger format. This image has been sent to us courtesy of one of our contributors. For this we are immensely grateful. Truly!

Beni-girai

紅嫌い

べにぎらい

In The Passionate Art of Utagawa Utamaro Timothy Clark (text volume, p. 95) refers to "...the so-called beni-girai ('crimson avoiding') style."

'So-called' seems to be the key word here. So far I have been unable to find out anything about this term other than the fact that it describes a print which does not include red inks. Whether this is intentional as an aesthetic choice or for some other reason I haven't a clue nor am I sure does anyone else. This may simply be a term which could be applied very loosely.

Ben(zai)ten

弁(財)天

べん(ざい)てん

The only goddess among the Seven Propitious Gods. She is the patron of the arts and wisdom. One of the main shrines devoted to her is on Enoshima near Kamakura. 1

Bero-ai

ベロ藍

The Japanese name for the Prussian or Berlin blue pigment. It was created by Heinrich Diesbach in 1704. This was first of the modern, artificial pigments. He was trying to make a new red at the time because much of this concoction contained cattle blood, but he ended up with a deep blue. By the 1820s this new color was being used in Japanese woodblock printmaking. 1

Bijin

美人

びじん

The term bijin has always fascinated me because literally it means 'beautiful person', but strictly refers to women. The character 人 in isolation means 'man', 'person' or 'people', but combined with  美, the character for beautiful, it applies only to women. Why? Finally I found an plausible answer.

Kittredge Cherry in her Womansword (p. 19) states: "Beauty is female. 'I met a beauty today' generally means the speaker encountered a beautiful woman. Likewise, the Japanese talk about meeting a bijin, literally 'beauty-person' but actually used exclusively for beauties of the female persuasion. In contrast, gender is usually specified in various words for male beauties, such as 'beauty-man' (binan)." [美男 or びなん]

(However, Roger Keyes states it differently - and this is an author who I trust: "The word bijin is ungendered. It means 'beautiful person' and suggests sexual attraction, sometimes dangerous." Quoted from: Ehon: The Artist and the Book in Japan, published by the New York Public Library with the University of Washington Press, 2006, p. 64.)

Frank Turk in his Prints of Japan (p. 117) notes that Michener believed "...that during the period 1660-1860 pictures of beautiful women made up about 40 per cent of the total output of ukiyo-e..." Turk concurred.

Recently I told a friend that I was going to add an entry on bijin-ga. He said something about them only being pictures of prostitutes. I told him that was wrong, but not completely so. Since so many of the great beauties of their day portrayed by artists were frequently famous courtesans I could see why he believed that.

Julia Hutt in her essay "The Golden Age, 1780-1810" in Ukiyo-e to Shin Hanga: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Prints (p. 83) notes: "In the context of ukiyo-e art, the term bijin is used generically to refer to well-groomed women from many social levels employed in multifarious activities." She continues: "On the one hand are those which depict respectable women going about their daily business, such as carrying out mundane domestic activities or taking part in outings to view cherry blossoms, to the seaside or to a temple." On the other hand... Well, you can guess what those women were doing.

The Eizan details to the left are indeed images of the tayu - the highest class of courtesan - Misado of the Tama-ya. This was sent to us by our generous contributor E. Thanks E!

Bishamon

毘沙門

びしゃもん

One of the Seven Propitious Gods. He is the god of warfare. 

The book illustration image to the left was sent to us by one of our correspondents, E. It is said to date from circa 1690 and is attributed to Yoshida Hambei from the "Nanto Daibutsen goengi". Thanks E!

Bishamonkikkō

毘沙門亀甲

びしゃもん.きっこう

This is the name of the pattern of the armor often seen on the figure Bishamon although it does not appear in the entry immediately above this one. It contains the characters for Bishamon and tortoiseshell.

This is also related to the kensaki (剣先 or けんさき) or sword tip pattern. 1

Blue and white porcelain

Detail from a Ming vase below

An  innovative 13th c.  use of cobalt for underglaze decoration 1

Bo Thru Da

De thru Gen

Ges Thru Hic