Meiji prints
| Design: | Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) | |||||
| Print title: | Title page/Table of contents | |||||
| Album/series title: | Imayō Bijin (Modern style beauties) | |||||
| 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 silver flowers; embossed (kara-zuri) water lines.
This print displays the title and table of contents of the Imayō Bijin album, including the titles of the twelve prints.
Series title and table of contents (from right to left):
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 今 | ima | now | |
| 様 | yō | manner | |
| 美 | bi | beautiful | |
| 人 | jin | person | Modern style beauties |
| 目 | moku | eye | |
| 録 | roku | record | Index |
| 御 | go | honorouble prefix | |
| 祝 | shū | celebration | |
| 儀 | gi | ceremony | Celebration ceremony |
| 観 | kan | view | |
| 梅 | bai | Chinese plum | Plum blossom viewing |
| 園 | en | garden | |
| 遊 | yū | play | |
| 会 | kai | party | Garden play party |
| 藤 | fuji | wisteria | |
| な | na | ||
| み | mi | wave | Wisteria wave |
| 菖 | shō | iris | |
| 蒲 | bu | cattail | Japanese irises |
| 園 | en | garden | |
| 芸 | gei | craft | |
| 会 | kai | party | Gardening party |
| 岐 | Gi | fork in road | |
| 阜 | fu | hill | |
| 提 | chō | carry in hand | |
| 燈 | chin | light | Gifu paper lantern |
| 納 | nō | settlement | |
| 涼 | ryō | cool air | Cool of the evening |
| 月 | tsuki | moon | |
| 見 | mi | see | Moon viewing |
| は | ha | ||
| ま | ma | beach | |
| あ | a | ||
| そ | so | ||
| び | bi | play | Playing at the beach |
| 宮 | miya | shrine | |
| ま | ma | ||
| う | u | ||
| て | te | to flutter about | Fluttering near a shrine |
| 雪 | yuki | snow | |
| 見 | mi | see | Snow viewing |
Publisher’s firm name and red seal in last column from the right:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 滑 | katsu | slide | |
| 稽 | kei | think | |
| 堂 | dō | hall | |
| 拝 | hai | honorific | Kokkeidō |
The two kanji in the red seal read ‘Akiyama’, the name of the publisher.
References
- Stephens, Amy Reigle (1993). The New Wave: Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection. London: Bamboo Publishing.
- Newland, Amy Reigle (2021). Printed and painted. The Meiji art of Ogata Gekkō (1859-1920). Leiden: Hotei Publishing.
Provenance: Yagiya Bobongua store