illustrated book;
print
- Museum number
- 1915,0823,0.63
- Title
- Object: Konjaku zoku hyakki 今昔続百鬼 (Night Procession of One Hundred Demons)
- Description
-
Illustrated book. Woodblock-printed.
- Production date
-
1776
-
1779
- Dimensions
-
Height: 22.70 centimetres (covers)
-
Width: 16 centimetres (covers)
- Curator's comments
- Sekien adapted traditional medieval imagery of ghosts and monsters and made it available to wider public in woodblock-printed books. Here the monsters are named 'akashita' ('red tongue', right) and 'nupperabo' ('blob', left).
Volume One (Spring-Summer): Courtesans of the Chojiya.
Chozan (centre) reads from 'Eiga monogatari', the 11th century account of the ascendenancy of the courtier Fujiwara no Michinaga. Senzan (right) leans against a writing table, about to copy passages from 'Kogetsusho' (1673), a novel about Lady Murasaki composing the 'Tale of Genji'. Toyoharu (left) writes an original poem about a cuckoo in elegant calligraphy.
Volume Two (Autumn-Winter): Courtesans of the Okamotoya.
The courtesans are grouped beside a window of their upstairs apartments, watching geese flying in autumn formation. Each wears a thick over-kimono ('uchikake') draped around her shoulders. Their names are given as (right to left): Hanatsuru, Yoshitaka (reading a letter), Makino'o (seated by a smoking set), Iwateru (holding a toothbrush) and Orihata.
Volume Three (Supplement)
A group of courtesans meet while walking in a side-street of the Yoshiwara quarter. Each wears a lavish 'uchikake' robe over her kimono with a large brocade sash tied formally at the front. Their names are given as (right to left): Kikunoi of the Wakamatsuya, Hatsusaki of the Maru-Ebiya, Ayagiku of the Shin-Kanaya, Kasugano of the Matsuya and Motomaki of the Wakamatsuya. (Label copy, TTC 1997)
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 16 Apr 1901
- Acquisition notes
- Transferred from Department of Oriental Manuscripts (August 1915)
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 1915,0823,0.63
- Additional IDs
-
Japanese Illustrated Book number: JIB.147
-
Other BM number: 16116.d.19 (previous British Library shelfmark)
