Subject: Soga Gorô Tokimune (曽我五郎時致) lifting the mosquito-net with sword at the ready, prior to killing his father’s murderer, Kudô Suketsune
Series: Ukiyo-e Comparisons of the Cloudy Chapters of Genji – Genji kumo ukiyo-e awase (源氏雲浮世画合)
Print No: Chapter 3. Utsusemi (空蝉, the cicada shell)
Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861)
Signature: Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga and kiri seal
Date: 1845-46
Cens: Watari
Publisher: Ise-ya Ichibei
Size: Oban tate-e,
Condition: Good impression and colour. Fair condition, some marks and soiling. Trimmed margins, with rubbing and loss at bottom left corner.
Price: USD 160
Literature: Kuniyoshi the worrior prints – B. W. Robinson S45.3
In The Tale of Genji, the chapter Utsusemi (空蝉, the cicada shell) concerns a woman who eludes Genji and leaves behind only traces of her presence. Kuniyoshi transforms that idea into a warrior setting and the decisive moment exists in a state of suspense between concealment and revelation. That literary parallel is likely what justified pairing Soga Gorō Tokimune with Utsusemi.
The tale of the text – approximately
From youth the Soga brothers never forgot the murder of their father by Kudō Suketsune. Enduring hardship while nurturing their resolve for vengeance, they eventually gained the opportunity to approach their enemy. The scene depicts Gorō stealthily lifting the mosquito net before striking, a deed that secured his enduring fame.
Note: At lower left of text we see:- 替花笠外史 Kaikasai Gashi (or Hanasagai Gashi) – the name/signature of the writer of the accompanying prose note.