- XVIII

P-0235

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 81.4; Larghezza: 33.1; Varie: Altezza montatura: 159 cm
Larghezza montatura: 42 cm

inchiostro e colori su seta

La Rinascita della Pittura Giapponese. Vent'anni di restauri al Museo Chiossone di Genova - Genova, Museo d'Arte Orientale Edoardo Chiossone - 28/02 - 29/06 2014

In the Yoshiwara pleasure district, a complex etiquette prevailed that, in regulating and formalizing the relationship between courtesan and client, required that after each meeting the two exchange passionate letters, reconfirming and strengthening their bond. The images of yūjo intent on writing, opening and reading love letters represented a great flattery for male narcissism: it is possible that this painting by Shunman and one with the same theme by Shinsai were commissioned by the danna, the courtesans' mainman. This important socio-cultural, aesthetic and figurative phenomenon of the "cult of the courtesan" pervaded the intellectual and literary ukiyoe circles of Edo during the 1780s, expressing a strong idealization of women of pleasure, of their literary and poetic wisdom, of their refined qualities of culture and humanism. Painting with original sujiwari hyōgu mount in light gray shikegami paper with purple edges; jikusho in wood and red lacquer. The work depicts a standing courtesan represented in three-quarters. The woman is intent on reading a long love letter that she holds open, unrolled in her hands. Her hair is loose and she wears an overcoat decorated with a plum tree in blossom, forming a rich rounded train at the base of the figure. The dress is decorated with stylized shingled waves. The obi, tied in a loose and billowing knot with the two flaps hanging down the front, is adorned with a design of scattered fragments with three "tortoise scales".

- XIX

P-0207

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 67.6; Larghezza: 81.6; Varie: Altezza montatura: 182 cm
Larghezza montatura: 93.8 cm

inchiostro, colori e oro su seta

La Rinascita della Pittura Giapponese. Vent'anni di restauri al Museo Chiossone di Genova - Genova, Museo d'Arte Orientale Edoardo Chiossone - 28/02 - 29/06 2014

The Seven Gods of Fortune (Shichifukujin) are deities that bring happiness, good fortune, love, beauty, longevity, courage, wisdom, prosperity and wealth, and include figures originating from different regions of Asia (China, India, Japan) and from different religious backgrounds (Buddhism, Taoism and Shintō). The group consists of six male figures and one female, formed in the Muromachi period, but their cult spread and became very popular among the urban class of artisans and merchants during the Edo period. According to belief, the Shichifukujin travel on the "treasure boat" (takarabune) and arrive in Japan on the morning of Shōgatsu, the first day of the year, bringing auspicious omens for abundant harvests and wealth (Daikokuten), daily nourishment (Ebisu), long life (Fukurokuju), happiness and good fortune (Hotei), wisdom (Jurōjin), courage (Bishamonten), love, beauty and singing talent (Benzaiten). Because of these propitiatory abilities, the auspicious icon of the Shichifukujin was displayed at New Year's in the tokonoma in the tatami room. In addition to representing an important case in the history of ukiyo-e painting, the painting documents the close relations of the four major exponents of the Utagawa School. Painting with original sandan hyōgu silk mount: ichimonji in deep blue ground kinran with designs of swirls with leaves and lotus buds; chūberi in ivory ground kinran with shōchikubai designs of bamboo, pine and plum blossoms; jōge in dark blue monochrome donsu with designs of flowers; jikushu in Kutani porcelain with red and gold enamels over the cover. The work depicts the Shichifukujin, the Seven Deities of Fortune and brings together the work of seven painters: Utagawa Toyoharu (1735-1814), Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825), Utagawa Toyohiro (1773-1828), Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864), Torii Kiyonaga (1752-1815), Kat sushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Katsukawa Shun'ei (1762-1819). To these were added the brothers Santō Kyōden (1761-1816) and Santō Kyōzan (1769-1858). Each of the artists involved in the undertaking painted the figures and details that we find in this work: in particular, each of them took as a subject one of the divine figures according to the characteristics of the artist, adding their signature alongside. Utagawa created Daikokuten and Benzaiten according to the classic iconography: Daikokuten with the maruzukin flat hat, the mallet and the large sack of riches and the goddess Benzaiten holding the biwa musical instrument and a small torii (the gate of the Shinto shrine) as a diadem. Bishamonten, painted by Torii Kiyonaga, is depicted with the usual armor while brandishing a spear. Fukurokuju, the work of Katsukawa Shun'ei, is recognizable by the oblong head while he sits apart, almost obscured by the great Hotei who, pot-bellied and smiling, was depicted by Katsushika Hokusai. Finally, Ebisu was portrayed by Toyohiro Utagawa while he laughs contentedly with his elbows resting on a basket containing a large red snapper. The poem on the work is instead composed and signed by Santō Kyōden and calligraphed and signed by Santō Kyōzan.

- XVIII

P-0193

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 99.8; Larghezza: 33; Varie: Altezza montatura: 179.2 cm
Larghezza montatura: 44.1 cm

inchiostro, colori e oro su seta

La Rinascita della Pittura Giapponese. Vent'anni di restauri al Museo Chiossone di Genova - Genova, Museo d'Arte Orientale Edoardo Chiossone - 28/02 - 29/06 2014

Originating from Sado Island (present-day Niigata Prefecture), where it is still performed today, harugoma is a ceremonial dance that was once performed throughout Japan at the beginning of spring in Shōgatsu, the first month of the lunar calendar, to bring good luck to the year. The performers were kadozukegeijin, wandering acrobats who went from house to house and, after pronouncing a good wish, sang and danced in front of the main entrance, sometimes wearing a costume with a horse-head mask, or carrying a stick with a small sculpture on the top depicting a horse's head with a bridle. This dance passed from the repertoire of street performers to that of Kabuki theater, where it began to be performed during the Genroku period (1688-1704). November 1782 was the peak of the theatrical popularity of harugoma, with the first performance of the play "Mutsumashi tsuki no tetori", which attracted a large audience also in Yoshiwara and which, due to its success, was probably repeated until the following year. These circumstances lead us to think that Shunshō painted the work in conjunction with the popularity of harugoma dance between 1782 and 1783. Painting with new Yamato hyōgu silk mount: ichimonji and fūtai in white hiraori embroidered in polychrome silk and gold with swirls and flowers; chūberi in two-tone hazelnut and green donsu with a lightning bolt motif; ivory-colored jōge; jikushu in wood and semi-gloss reddish-brown lacquer. The work depicts a young woman performing the harugoma, a ceremonial dance that used to be held in early spring in Shōgatsu. The figure is in three-quarter view and stands on the tip of her left foot, bending her right leg backwards. The girl turns her head to look at the stick, topped by a small sculpture of an equine protome, which she holds in her right hand. With her left hand, instead, she moves the scarlet reins that she has placed behind her neck. The young woman wears a kimono with large, diagonal light blue and gray stripes, with floating cherry blossoms. The long sleeves are trimmed at the wrists with gray, red, and green ribbons. A brown handkerchief covers her head and is tied under her chin. The dress is closed by a black velvet obi embroidered with green spirals embellished with gold and amaranth. On the left side of the painting, the trunk of a plum tree emerges, with branches dotted with buds and a few open flowers.

- XIX

S-1703

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 37; Larghezza: 35.6

carta giapponese- xilografia

Dipinti e stampe del Mondo Fluttuante. Capolavori Ukiyoe del Museo Chiossone di Genova - Genova, Palazzo Ducale - 16 aprile – 21 agosto 2005

After the fall of the shogunate and the reopening of Japan to the rest of the world, during the Meiji Period, there was a large and growing presence of foreign residents in the country; this transformed the market and food customs of Yokohama in just a few years, making it a true "Western" district of Japan (as its port was one of the main arrival points for foreign ships). A three-sheet composite woodblock print showing, in a diagonal perspective, a very early moment in the development of Honchō-dōri, Yokohama's most important commercial artery. The street is lined with workshops, warehouses and large stores. The pavement is filled with carters and pedestrians, mostly Japanese. There are few Chinese and Westerners. On the horizon, one can see the masts of several vessels and the sails of numerous boats heading for the mainland. The large corner store on the left is the headquarters of the Mitsui company.

S-1154

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 37.2; Larghezza: 76.9

carta giapponese- xilografia

Dipinti e stampe del Mondo Fluttuante. Capolavori Ukiyoe del Museo Chiossone di Genova - Genova, Palazzo Ducale - 16 aprile – 21 agosto 2005

This is the last triptych by Utamaro, who died a few months after the production of this woodblock print, in September 1806. A composite woodblock print in three sheets depicting a young aristocratic girl or princess (hime) who, escorted by a large group of maids, has just arrived at Gotenyama "the hill of the palace". The noblewoman is emerging from the palanquin placed in the center of a clearing with cherry trees in bloom, beyond which there is a view of the sea dotted with sails and boats. The young princess wears a very rich kimono decorated with cherry blossom motifs and her hair is adorned with a comb, pins, small white flowers and a red bow. One lady holds up the door of the sedan chair, while behind her another seems to shield her eyes from the sunlight. The left print depicts three women, one of whom is crouched on the grass and offers zori to her lady. Another is ready to open the parasol to protect her, and the third holds up the hem of her dress and signals to her companion on the ground. In the right section, a little girl is holding a realistic doll. Next to her, a lady is holding a box wrapped in purple fabric, perhaps containing the necessary things for the walk, and next to her, another maid is observing the scene. The clothes of the entourage, simpler than those of the noblewoman but elegant and worthy of the servants of a very important family, are all in colors and combinations chosen according to the season, such as the combination yuri (“lily”: red and orange), nadeshiko (“plumed carnation”: red and purple), shōbu (“Japanese iris”: pink and green), and the motifs that embellish them are roses, vines, maple leaves and bamboo leaves.

- XVIII

S-1149

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 38.1; Larghezza: 125.7

carta giapponese- xilografia

Dipinti e stampe del Mondo Fluttuante. Capolavori Ukiyoe del Museo Chiossone di Genova - Genova, Palazzo Ducale - 16 aprile – 21 agosto 2005

The term gosekku indicates the five most important festivals of the Japanese calendar that are celebrated especially at the change of seasons; -Jinjitsu (festival of the seven herbs), January 7 -Hinamatsuri (festival of the dolls or festival of the girls), March 3 -Kodomo no hi (festival of the children), May 5 -Tanabata (seventh night), July 7 -Kiku no sekku (day of the chrysanthemums), September 9 The Omagaki Ogiya pleasure house commissioned this pentaptych, which depicts five high-ranking courtesans in an interior, each preparing a flower arrangement symbolizing the Gosekku, the "Five Festivals of the Year." The symbolic depiction implies that the Ogiya house is able to satisfy tastes and preferences in all seasons, offering customers the company of elegant and refined women like their arrangements. The advertising effectiveness of this pentaptych must have been excellent, since two other publishers printed additional versions.

- XVIII

S-0081

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 31.9; Larghezza: 43.8

carta giapponese- xilografia

Tabemono no Bi. Bellezza gusto immagine dei cibi giapponesi - Genova, Museo d’Arte Orientale Edoardo Chiossone - 31 ottobre 2015 – 11 settembre 2016

The woodblock print depicts a view of the interior of the restaurant on the ground floor of the Chōjiya, one of the most renowned pleasure houses in Yoshiwara. In the foreground, on the left, behind a low double folding screen, sits a group of three customers and six entertainment professionals: the conversation seems to have just begun and the first course has just been brought by an attendant, who withdraws, prostrating himself on the floor. On the right, several kitchen workers are busy cleaning vegetables, tending the stove, rinsing fish, and pounding rice for mochi cakes, while the head chef, seen from behind, is preparing to slice a large fish placed on the cutting board. A large stack of sake barrels is placed against the right wall, and in the background is the entrance curtain with the emblem of the house. On the left, in the background, several courtesans linger in the large room from which the staircase to the upper floor branches off. All around the perimeter there are small rooms and lounges with sliding walls open, one of which is equipped to store trays and tableware.

- XIX

S-2446

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Nikkō is a city located in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture in the Kantō region, north of Tokyo, full of famous shrines, in the surroundings of the city there are hot springs and a natural park, Nikkō National Park, with waterfalls and beautiful mountain scenery. The mountains around the city are also considered sacred, perhaps because of their particular beauty. Ukiyo-e woodblock print with a view of the province of Shimotsuke, with Mount Nikkō and the Urami Falls. The size of the Urami waterfall is rendered through the shades of bokashi. The verticality of the format and the bold double perspective, from above and front, give majesty to the waterfall. The curiosity of this rugged and steep place is that the jump of the mass of water is so significant that it allows travelers to pass underneath it and look at the waterfall from behind.

- XIX

S-1678

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The Benzaiten Shrine on the island of Enoshima near Kamakura was a popular place of pilgrimage from Edo. The statue of the deity was displayed once every six years. Fantastic illustration of pilgrims paying a visit to the main shrine Iwaya at Enoshima in Sagami Province to view a display of the Goddess Benzaiten. The Iwaya are caves eroded in the island by thousands of years of tides, lined with small shrines. Groups of women and girls, some dressed in matching kimono and carrying umbrellas, walk along the rocky shore, making their way to or from the entrance to the cave at right. At bottom center, a young boy clambers ashore after taking a dip in the water. At right, a few women picnic and fish on an islet. The massive rock formation dominates the composition, topped with grass and pine trees, providing an interesting and unusual viewpoint rather than focusing on the mouth of the cave itself. White-capped waves splash along the shore, and boats dot the ocean beyond, with Mt. Fuji rising in the distance at left.

- XIX

S-1394

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 37.8; Larghezza: 25.1

carta giapponese- xilografia

Capolavori d'Arte Giapponese dal Periodo Edo alla Modernizzazione - Genova, Museo d'Arte Orientale E. Chiossone - 25 luglio 2001 - 16 giugno 2002

The series "Ōatari kyōgen no uchi", published by Kawaguchiya Uhei in a limited edition, was printed using expensive materials such as mica, excellent quality pigments and excellent paper. Common features of all the prints in the series are the light mica background and the unusual design of the eyes. Ichikawa Danjūrō ​​VII (1791-1859) is portrayed here in the guise of the court poet and politician Sugawara no Michizane (845-903, Kan Shōjō in the performance). The drama "Sekai no hana Sugawara denju", staged by the Ichimura company in 1814, in fact narrates the unfortunate events of the scholar, here depicted in the moment in which he transforms into a God of thunder while furiously thinking back on the injustices of his life. The figure appears to be pervaded by strong emotion: flames escape from the body, the hair is standing on end, the hands are clasped in a gesture of anger and the eyes seem to pop out of their sockets. The plum branch held between his teeth is a reference to the "flying plum tree" (tobi ume), the tree that uprooted itself from the garden of Kan Shōjō's house at the time of his departure and, flying, followed his wanderings until it was transplanted to the place of his exile.