Lot 40B
**First Time At Auction**
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797/981861). The Story of Nippondaemon and the Cat (Nippondaemon neko no koji) (triptych oban), Three woodblock prints, ink and color on paper. Each sheet signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga. Published by Yamamotoya Heikichi (Eikyudo), 7th month 1847. Censor's seals: Hama (Hama Yahei) and Kinugasa (Kinugasa Fusajiro). Utagawa Kuniyoshi's "The Story of Nippondaemon and the Cat (Nippondaemon neko no koji)" sold for GBP 3,000 ($3,759) at Christie's London on July 11, 2019 (lot 87). Please see the extended description below for Christie's informative lot essay. Size: Each woodblock measures approximately 14" L x 10" W (35.6 cm x 25.4 cm)
Utagawa Kuniyoshi's "The Story of Nippondaemon and the Cat (Nippondaemon neko no koji)" sold for GBP 3,000 ($3,759) at Christie's London on July 11, 2019 (lot 87). According to Christie's lot essay, "The actor Onoe Kikugoro III was much admired for his performances of supernatural roles. In this print he is shown in the role of Neko-ishi no Kai (Spirit of the Cat Stone) and is dressed as an old woman wearing court robes, but with cat's ears. The scene is set in a lonely inn at Okazaki on the Tokaido road and Neko-ishi has conjured up the huge and terrifying cat spirit which scowls menacingly through a worn reed blind. Two further cats wearing headscarves dance madly around and inside a standing lantern is a silhouette of a cat's head licking the lamp oil.
Onoe Kikugoro III entered retirement in September 1847 after this final performance at the Ichimura theatre in a program called Onoe Baiju Ichidai Banashi, named after him. In his retirement, he took on the name Kikuya Manbei, and ran a mochi shop called the Kiku-ya, falling ill and dying the following year, 1848."
Woodblock prints were created in Japan as early as the 8th century to illustrate texts. By the 18th century Japanese woodblock techniques had evolved, and the first polychrome prints or nishiki-e were commissioned for wealthy patrons of the Edo period. This period was known for marvelous woodblock prints of female beauties, kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, and courtesans of the infamous pleasure districts. In time the repertoire expanded to include romantic landscapes, flora and fauna, and dramatic historical events such as the Battle of Dan-no-Ura. Woodblocks like Yoshitora Utagawa's played a major role in the West's perception of Japanese visual culture during the late 19th century when Japonism exerted a powerful influence on French Impressionists such as Degas, Manet, and Monet, Post-Impressionists including Van Gogh, even pioneering Art Nouveau artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec.
Provenance: private Constance McCormick Fearing estate, Montecito, California, USA, acquired before 2004
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#181105
- Condition: Woodblocks are trimmed and present with some expected age wear, but the imagery is still vivid. All are attached (only at the upper edges) to a cardstock trifold. Cardstock trifold presents with age wear and minor stains in lower margin that do not impact the artwork. On the cardstock behind the middle woodblock is a stamp that says "Original Guarantee / By Sakai Co. Ltd. / Established 1874 / Tokyo, Japan" and a hand inscription that says "By Kuniyoshi 1796-1861".
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