illustrated book; print

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Object Type: illustrated book; print
Museum number: 1915,0823,0.68
Title: Object: Ehon mushi erami 画本虫撰 (Picture Book: Selected Insects)
Description: Illustrated book, two volumes (bound in reverse order). Illustrations of flowers, fruits, vegetables and reptiles. With kyoka poems on insects and comic poems on feeling of love. Colour woodblock-printed. See also JH.152.
Producer name: Print artist: Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿; Published by: Tsutaya Juzaburo 蔦屋重三郎; Author: Ishikawa Masamochi 石川雅望 (vol. 1, preface; vol. 2, kyoka, 'Frog'); Author: Ota Nanpo 大田南畝 (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Hairy caterpillar'); Author: Sakai Hoitsu 酒井抱一 (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Paper wasp' (as Shiriyake no Sarundo)); Author: Shikatsube no Magao (鹿都部真顔) (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Centipede'); Author: Karagoromo Kisshu (唐衣橘州) (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Katydid'); Author: Katsura no Mayuzumi (桂眉住) (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Earwig'); Author: Yanagihara Mukau 柳原向 (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Mole cricket'); Author: Ichifuji Nitaka 一富士二鷹 (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Dragonfly'); Author: Mare na Toshinari (稀年成) (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Butterfly'); Author: Jomon Kitsumaru 條門橘丸 (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Green caterpillar'); Author: Ki no Sadamaru 紀定丸 (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Horsefly'); Author: Shurakusai Takimaro 酒楽斎滝麿 (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Firefly'); Author: Asakusa no Ichihito 浅草市人 (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Praying mantis'); Author: Ikimi Kuronari 意気躬黒成 (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Cone-headed grasshopper'); Author: Soyoan (桑楊庵) (vol. 1, kyoka, 'Spider'); Author: Nokiba Sugimaru (軒端杉丸) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Locust'); Author: Akera Kanko 朱楽菅江 (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Red dragonfly'); Author: Ton'ya no Sakafune (問屋酒船) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Skink'); Author: Chie no Hanamoto 千枝鼻元 (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Rat snake'); Author: Torai Sanna (唐来三和) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Horned scarab beetle'); Author: Tachibana no Uranari (立花裏也) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Bag-worm'); Author: Kori Karinushi (高利刈主) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Land-snail'); Author: Kashihon Furuki (貸本古喜) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Giant katydid'); Author: Miwa no Sanmon (三輪杉門) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Cicada'); Author: Kurabe Yukizumi 倉部行澄 (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Grasshopper'); Author: Konomichi Kuraki (此道くらき) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Cricket'); Author: Hitosuji Michinari 一筋道成 (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Earthworm'); Author: Kosudare Sugaki (小簾菅伎) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Gold beetle'); Author: Toriyama Sekien (鳥山石燕) (postscript)
Cultures/periods
Production date: 1788 (New Year)
Production place: Published in: Edo
Materials
Technique: woodblock; colour
Dimensions: Height: 27.10 centimetres (covers); Width: 18.40 centimetres (covers)
Curator's comments: Utamaro was clearly familiar with Chinese-style imagery of plants and insects. In literary terms, however, the saucy 'crazy verses' (kyoka) of fashionable urban poets parody classical examples by the early Edo poet Kinoshita Choshoshi. This copy of the book was formerly in the collection of the naturalist Joseph Banks (1743-1820), and must have been brought back to Europe as part of a cargo of trade of the Dutch East India Company, the only foreigners allowed to trade with Japan at the time. (label copy, TTC, 1999); Farrer 2001 Utamaro's illustrations have been designed to accompany 'kyoka' poems which have been produced as a result of a competition between thirty 'kyoka' poets on the topic of insects, in addition the poems are all 'comic poems on the feelings of love'. The production of this work was probably conceived and arranged by the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo. Although the book is called 'Picture book: selected insects', the illustrations include flowers, fruits, vegetables and reptiles. Utamaro's exquisite designs realistically portray the design and colour of the subjects represented. The origin of the subject matter of flowers and insects represented in woodblock form, which is seen in Utamaro's work, is in the Chinese publication 'Jieziyuan huazhuan', part 3, produced in Nanjing in 1701. This work renders, in colour woodblock illustrations, the subject of plants and insects which had been a category of painting practised in the Piling area (present Changzhou) of Jiangsu province since the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), and dating back to court painting of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1126).
Bibliographic references
Location: Not on display
Subjects: insect; kyoka
Acquisition name
Previous owner
Acquisition date: 1915
Acquisition notes: Transferred from Department of Oriental Manuscripts (August 1915)
Department: Asia
Registration number: 1915,0823,0.68
Additional IDs: Japanese Illustrated Book number: JIB.137; Other BM number: Or.c.116 (previous British Library shelfmark)

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