A Molted Cicada Shell (Utsusemi): Soga Gorō Tokimune
Original title: “‘A Molted Cicada Shell’ (Utsusemi): Soga Gorō Tokimune,” from the series Scenes amid Genji Clouds Matched with Ukiyo-e Pictures (Genji-gumo ukiyo e-awase)
kurzbeschreibung
Utagawa Kuniyoshi made this sheet for his series "Genji-gumo ukiyo-e-awase" (Scenes under Genji Clouds, Paired with Ukiyo-e Prints), produced between roughly 1845 and 1861. It is a multicolour woodblock print (nishiki-e) in ōban format. The warrior Soga Gorō Tokimune appears here, rendered by the artist in a tense, active pose.
Description
In the foreground a figure sits in Japanese dress, a sword in hand; dense tattoo patterns cover the arms and legs. A red parcel lies beside the figure on the ground. Behind it emerge a green curtain and a red banner bearing characters. Above the figure floats a leaf with a cicada drawn on it, along with further characters. Red, blue, yellow and green dominate the lively colour scheme; the light falls evenly, without shading.
Context
The series "Genji-gumo ukiyo-e-awase" belongs to the late Edo period, when ukiyo-e masters such as Kuniyoshi increasingly took up historical and literary subjects. Soga Gorō Tokimune comes from the Soga tradition, a revenge story set in the twelfth century. Kuniyoshi was known as a specialist in heroic figures, tattoos and dramatically charged scenes, which he combined here with allusions to the "Genji-monogatari". The sheets of the series appeared between 1845 and 1861, in a phase when Japan's urban public showed great interest in historical narratives.
Impact
The figure's central placement and the strong tones give the sheet an immediate intensity. The tattoos and the cicada motif introduce a symbolic layer that invites further thought. Clear outlines and flatly applied colours produce a quiet yet perceptibly animated presence.
Technique
For this process, called nishiki-e, several woodblocks were prepared, one for each colour, and pulled one after another with water-based colours onto the paper. This yields the sharp outlines and flat colouring characteristic of nineteenth-century ukiyo-e production.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)