Meiji prints
| Design: | Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921) | |||||
| Print title: | Introduction print | |||||
| Album/series title: | Edo no Nishiki (Brocade pictures of Edo) | |||||
| Size: | 20.9 x 30.3 cm (ōban) | |||||
| Original woodblock print | ||||||
| Photography: | Jacques Commandeur |
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Special effects: silver metallic pigments on the second fan in the background.
The text in this print contains an introduction to the Edo no Nishiki album.*) On the right of the fan in the front publisher Akiyama Buemon explains his reasons for publishing this album**). The sixth column from the right of the text mentions the name of the designer of the prints of this album:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 池 | ike | pond | |
| 田 | ta | ricefield | |
| 輝 | kagaya(ku) | shine | |
| 方 | kata | person | Ikeda Terukata |
The ninth column from the right contains the following yojikugo (four character compound):
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 温 | on | warm | |
| 故 | ko | the late | |
| 知 | chi | wisdom | |
| 新 | shin | new | To learn from the past |
One of the reasons for publishing this album was thus “to discover new things by studying the past”, or “to learn from the past”.
Publisher’s firm name in left most column of the text:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 滑 | katsu | slide | |
| 稽 | kei | think | |
| 堂 | dō | temple | Kokkeidō |
| 主 | shu | chief | |
| 人 | jin | person | proprietor |
Followed by a red seal with the publisher’s name:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| あ | a | ||
| き | ki | ||
| や | ya | ||
| 万 | man | ten thousand | Akiyama |
Red seals with the names of the printer and carver in the left bottom of the front fan in this print:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 印 | in | stamp | |
| 刷 | satsu | Printer: | |
| 山 | yama | mountain | |
| 田 | ta | rice field | Yamada |
| 彫 | ho(ru) | carve | |
| 匠 | shō | artisan | Carver: |
| 宗 | mune | religion | |
| 岡 | oka | hill | Muneoka |
References
- Newland, Amy Reigle, and Shinji, Hamanaka (2000). The female image. Leiden: Hotei Publishing.
Provenance: The Arts and Designs of Japan website of Peter and Lois Gilder.
*) With many thanks to Peter Gilder for sending me this print as a gift.
**) With many thanks to Naoko Oba for helping me with the translation of the text in this print.