illustrated book; print

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Object Type: illustrated book; print
Museum number: 1979,0305,0.152.2
Title: Object: Ehon mushi erami 画本虫撰 (Picture Book: Selected Insects)
Description: Illustrated book, print. Colour woodblock-printed. Vol. 2 from a set of two volumes. Fifteen compositions, each containing plants, two types of insect and two poems. Covers: Original, buff-coloured, printed with brown Chinese bellflower and "seven treasure" pattern, embossed textile weave. Title slips: Original, printed with "Ehon mushi erabi, jo, ge" on pink slips printed with crimson birds and tendril pattern, pasted in top centre of covers [damaged]. Contents: (vol. 1) 10 leaves: 3 pages preface, 8 double-page illustrations, 1 blank single page; (vol. 2) 9 leaves: 1 blank single page; 7 double-page illustrations, 1 single page advertisement & publisher's colophon; 2 single pages postscript; advertisement pasted inside back cover. With slight mica. Inscribed, signed and sealed. See also JIB.137.
Producer name: Print artist: Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿; Published by: Tsutaya Juzaburo 蔦屋重三郎; Written by: Ishikawa Masamochi 石川雅望 (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Frog'); Written by: Nokiba Sugimaru (軒端杉丸) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Locust'); Written by: Akera Kanko 朱楽菅江 (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Red dragonfly'); Written by: Ton'ya no Sakafune (問屋酒船) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Skink'); Written by: Chie no Hanamoto 千枝鼻元 (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Rat snake'); Written by: Torai Sanna (唐来三和) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Horned scarab beetle'); Written by: Tachibana no Uranari (立花裏也) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Bag-worm'); Written by: Kori Karinushi (高利刈主) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Land-snail'); Written by: Kashihon Furuki (貸本古喜) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Giant katydid'); Written by: Miwa no Sanmon (三輪杉門) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Cicada'); Written by: Kurabe Yukizumi 倉部行澄 (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Grasshopper'); Written by: Konomichi Kuraki (此道くらき) (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Cricket'); Written by: Hitosuji Michinari 一筋道成 (vol. 2, kyoka, 'Earthworm'); Written by: 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; embossing; colour
Dimensions: Height: 27.10 centimetres; Width: 18.40 centimetres
$Inscriptions
Curator's comments: Hillier and Smith 1980 In the year 1788 Utamaro's reputation was established by the publication of masterpieces in two entirely different spheres, the 'Uta makura', an album of unsurpassable erotic prints (not in the Hillier Collection) and the 'Ehon mushi erabi', a book of 'kyoka' (lightweight verses) and of supremely beautiful prints of flowers, insects and other creatures. Literature: Brown, Louise Norton, 'Block Printing and Book Illustration in Japan', London and New York, 1924, p. 169. Hillier, J, 'Utamaro. Colour Prints and Paintings', London, 1961 and 1979, ch. VI. Odaka, Sennosuke, "Umaro ehon ko" (A Study of Utamaro's Illustrated Books), 'Ukiyoye no kenkyu', 20, vol. 5, Tokyo, 1928, no. 5. Toda, Kenji, 'Descriptive Catalogue of the Japanese and Chinese Illustrated Books in the Ryerson Library of the Art Institute of Chicago', Chicago, 1931, pp. 220-2. Sexton, J. J. O'Brien, "Illustrated Books of Japan II: Utamaro's Books of Natural History", in the 'Burlington Magazine', no. CLXXX, vol. XXXII, March, 1918.; Asano and Clark 1995 Traditionally referred to in English as "The insect book", this takes the form of fifteen compositions, each containing plants, two types of insect and two kyoka poems. The compiler Yadoya no Meshimori, imitating the ‘Mushi no uta-awase’ (Poem Competition of Insects) of Kinoshita Choshoshi, has arranged a ‘kyoka’ competition between thirty ‘kyoka’ poets of the day on the topic of insects—in addition all are "comic poems on the feelings of love" (koi no kokoro no zare-uta). Almost all the prominent members of the Temmei era ‘kyoka’ fraternity are represented, but rather than being led by Meshimori, it is more likely that the whole project was proposed and carried out from start to finish by the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, himself taking the central role. It goes without saying that Utamaro's designs are superb, but the achievements of the engravers and printer also deserve particular admiration. As mentioned in Toriyama Sekien's postscript, the carver was Fuji Kazumune, a famous craftsman whose name also appears on the ‘oban’ colour woodblock triptych by Shumman "Inside and outside the fence" (Hei no naigai). The book seems to have been favourably received from the start, as is evidenced by the various later printings and variant editions, but discussion of these is reserved for another occasion. The British Museum copy formerly in the collection of Jack Hillier is an early printing of the first edition. Literature: Sexton, J.J. O'Brien. "Illustrated Books of Japan II: Utamaro's Books on Natural History", Burlington Magazine vol. XXXII, no. CLXXX (March 1918), pls. 95-102. Otaka, Sennosuke 尾高鮮之助, "Utamaro no kibyoshi ko, 1-3"『歌麿の黄表紙考（一）~（三）』, ‘Mizue’「みづゑ」, pp. 275-277, 1928, 12-19. Ryerson, 1931, 220-222. ‘Kokusho somokuroku’「国書総目録」, vol. 1, Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo, 1963-72, no. 502. Suzuki, Juzo 鈴木重三, ‘ “Ehon mushi erabi” kaidai’「『画中虫撰』解題」, Tokyo, Nihon koten bungaku kai, 1975. Betchaku, Yasuko & Mirviss, Joan B, ‘Utamaro: Songs of the Garden’, New York, Metropolitan Museum & Viking Press, 1984. Yoshida, Susugu 吉田漱, et al. ‘Ukiyo-e hakka vol. 3: Utamaro’「浮世絵八華」, Tokyo, Heibonsha, 1984. Hillier, Jack, ‘The Art of the Japanese Book’, Sotheby's Publications, London, 1987, 409-14. Smith, Lawrence, ‘Ukiyoe: Images of Unknown Japan’, BMP, London, 1988, book no. 20. ‘Hizo Ukiyo-e taikan’「秘蔵浮世絵大観」, gen. ed. Narazaki, Muneshige, vol. 3, Kodansha, Tokyo, 1987-90, 241-246. Kobayashi, Tadashi 小林忠, et al. (eds.), ‘Edo meisaku gajo zenshu IX: Hokusai, Utamaro, Kunisada’「江戸名作画帖全集」, Tokyo, Shinshindo, 1992, 96, 98-101, 128-130, 180-181. Other copies: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Berlin. The British Museum, London (another copy, JIB 137). Chester Beatty Library and Gallery of Oriental Art, Dublin. The Art Institute of Chicago. Chiba City Museum of Art 千葉市美術館. The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge (Mass.). Donald and Mary Hyde Collection. The Japan ‘Ukiyoe’ Museum 日本浮世絵博物館, Matsumoto. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. National Diet Library 国立国会図書館 The New York Public Library. Gerhard Pulverer Collection. Werner Schindler Collection. Takima Bunko 竜間文庫. Toyo Bunko 東洋文庫, Tokyo. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. [Main text translated in Japanese below / 以下上記本文日本語訳] 浅野／クラーク　1995 一画面に、植物と二つの虫を配したもの15図に、それぞれ二種の狂歌を入れた構成。撰者宿屋飯盛が、木下長嘯子の『虫歌合』にならい、虫を詠題に、当時の狂歌師30人による狂歌合を試みたもので、すべて「恋のこゝろのざれ歌」となっている。天明狂歌壇の主要メンバーをほぼ網羅したこの企画は、飯盛の主導というよりは、版元蔦屋重三郎が提唱し、終始中心的役割を果たしたものと考えられる。歌麿の絵のすばらしさは、いうまでもないが、彼の版下をもとに彫摺した彫師・摺師の功績も賞讃されてよい。石燕の跋にあるように、彫りは藤一宗で、俊満画の「塀の内外」（大錦三枚続）にも名が見える名匠である。発売当初から高い評価を得ていた関係上、後摺本など異本も多いが、それについては割愛する。この大英博物館ヒリアー本は、初版初摺と比定されるものである。
Bibliographic references: Asano & Clark 1995 / The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro (463); Hillier & Smith 1980 / Japanese Prints: 300 Years of Albums and Books (54); Smith 1988 / Ukiyoe: Images of Unknown Japan (Books:20); Hizo Ukiyo-e taikan Vol 3 / Hizo Ukiyo-e taikan (241-246); Hillier 1987 / The Art of the Japanese Book (Pls. 59-60, fig. 277); Hulton & Smith 1979 / Flowers in Art from East and West (Colour 44)
Location: Not on display
Exhibition history: Exhibited: 2009 Jul 1- Oct 25, BM Japanese Galleries, 'Japan from prehistory to the present' [frogs opening]
Subjects: insect; plant; kyoka
Acquisition name
Acquisition date: 1979
Department: Asia
Registration number: 1979,0305,0.152.2
Additional IDs: Previous owner/ex-collection number: JH.152 (Hillier no.)

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