Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

1786-1865

The Five Festivals Represented by Eastern Genji: The Third Month
(Azuma genji mitate no gosekku: Yayoi)

signed on each sheet within the artist's toshidama-shaped cartouche, Toyokuni ga, with publisher's seal, Sho Nakabashi Yamadaya, block carver's seal, Hori take (Yokogawa Takejiro), censor's Aratame, and date seal, U-roku (year of the hare [1855], 6th lunar month, examined), 1855

oban tate-e triptych 14 1/8 by 28 7/8 in., 35.9 by 73.4 cm

Mitsuuji fans himself on a moonlit veranda in the company of a beauty, at right an older woman eavesdrops.

This print is from Kunisada's first Inaka Genji series based on the 'Five Seasonal Festivals' (gosekku), which were comprised of Jinjitsu (lit. 'Human Day') on the 7th day of the 1st month; Doll Festival (hinamatsuri) on the 3rd day of the 3rd month; Boy's Day (tango) on the 5th day of the 5th month; Tanabata (lit. 'Eventh of the Seventh') on the 7th day of the 7th month; and Chrysanthemum Festival (choyo) on the 9th day of the 9th month.

References:
Andreas Marks, Genji's World in Japanese Woodblock Prints, 2012, p. 91 (on the series); Appendix I, p. 279, G551-2
Tokyo Metropolitan Library (archive.library.metro.tokyo.jp), accession no. 0763-C6
Museum of Fine Arts (mfa.org), from the Bigelow Collection, accession no. 00.987-9
(inv. no. 10-1852)

price: $1,600