Yoshitoyo 芳豊: Humorous Scene of a Foreign Man and a Leopard Dressed as a Woman in a Tiger Kimono (Sold)
Artist: Utagawa Yoshitoyo 歌川芳豊 (1830-1866)
Title: Otora and Ranpei: Bride on the Wavy Passage to Marriage (Otora Ranpei michiyuki nami-ji no hanayome) おとら蘭平千里海路洞嫁＊ Author 作者Comically told by Kanagaki Robun (Kanagaki Robun gijutsu）仮＊名垣魯文戯述 Date: 1860
Hilarious mashup of an exhibited leopard, a Dutch man and a kabuki scene. According to “The Diary of Sensô-ji 浅草寺日記” ** Shinmon Tatsugorô, the owner of a young leopard, exhibited the creature at the west side of Ryôgokubashi/bridge in Edo at the end of the 7th month of 1860.
This leopard was imported from Holland and first bought by Chûbei, but Tatsugorô bought from him with a high price. As their correspondence shows, he wanted to exhibit it first on the Sensô-ji grounds, but this was not possible. The real reason was not mentioned, but a nine-month old leopard needed to eat meat, and Sensoji was of course a Buddhist temple, where meat-eating was frowned upon. Instead, it was exhibited at the western edge of the Ryôgoku Bridge. Based on this event, Yoshitoyo composed the scene, depicting the conversation/lines of two, the words written by Kanagaki Robun.
The first two names of the title refers to two characters in the famous Kabuki piece Chûshingura, playing with the names of Okaru and Kanpei, instead using Otora (leopard) and Ranpei (Dutch man).
The title in kanji does not match in reading with the hiragawa written next to it, but from both the meanings it already explains the story itself: In kanji, “thousand ri” (sen-ri千里), means long distance. Then it follows “sea passage “ (kai-ro海路). Then “way to bride/marriage” (dô= 道way, yome洞嫁).
In hiragana, “Michiyuki”, literally road travel, is the term for a journey scene in Japanese theatre, which shows the characters dancing or conversing while travelling. “Nami-ji no” means on the wavy passage. “Nanayome” means a bride.
At right we see the standing leopard in bride costume holding up with her paws a towel for her head covering (to get ready for a journey?). She wears a kimono with the pattern of a tiger skin, and her expression is somehow almost seductive, which is also humorous. The Dutch man looks quite funny because of the way he wears his head covering; his features are quite sharp, and his pose is actually one that we often see kabuki actors taking. His skin also features some chiaroscuro, an interesting touch.
On the pole left it says: “Played at Ryogoku-Hirokôji in the fall, the 7th month of 1860 with great success”, as if it was Kabuki. In this text, the leopard (hyô) is called called tiger (tora). They seemed not to differentiate between the animals at that time. With thanks to Michiko Sato-Grube for her research.
*The actual character (kanji) does not show in this software.
** The Diary of Sensô-ji 浅草寺日記 vol.30, p.182. There are many records on the puma exhibit in 1860.
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition.
Dimensions: ôban 37.5 x 25.7 cm
Publisher: Ebisu-ya Shôshichiゑびすや Signature: Ichiryûsai Yoshitoyo ga一龍斎芳豊画 with a red square seal Yoshitoyo
SKU: IRY003