Oshichi and Kichisaburō at the Gameboard, from the series Eight Scenes of Meetings
Name
Kitagawa, Utamaro, 1753?-1806 (Artist)
Takatsuya Isuke (Publisher)
Title
Oshichi and Kichisaburō at the Gameboard, from the series Eight Scenes of Meetings
Other Titles
Oshichi Kichisaburō no banshō お七吉三郎の盤しょう, from the series Omi hakkei 逢身八契
Abstract
This print belongs to the series "Eight Scenes of Meetings." The title is a pun on the famous "Eight Views of Omi" - traditional images of the Omi province depicted over the centuries in a wide range of media. In Japanese, both "eight meetings" and "eight views of Omi" can be expressed as "Omi hakkei," written with different characters. This image pairs a vignette of one of the classic views with the lovers Oshichi and Kichisaburō playing backgammon. Oshichi fell in love with the servant Kichisaburō at a temple where she found refuge after the great Edo fire of 1683. After returning home, Oshichi was driven insane by her longing for Kichisaburō. She set her house on fire and was later executed for arson.
Accession Number
C00.1755.045
Format
prints
Culture
Japanese (culture or style)
Genre
Figures (representations)
Origin Information
Edo (Tokyo), Japan
Date
ca. 1800
Physical Description
1 print ; sheet 14 7/8 x 10 in. (37.7 x 25.4 cm)
Note (Period)
Edo period
Note (Medium/support)
Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Note (Inscriptions/signatures)
Upper right: Oshichi Kichisaburō no banshō お七吉三郎の盤しょう. Middle right: Utamaro-hitsu. Upper left: Omi hakkei 逢身八契.
Note (Ownership)
The Stebbins Memorial Collection
Note
The artist is also known as Utamaro I. His prints of beautiful women and of erotica became very popular and dominated the ukiyo-e market in the 1790s and 1800s. He created a feminine ideal characterized by elongated faces and sensual poses.