Ukiyo-e Prints

浮世絵版画

formerly Port Townsend, Washington

now Kansas City, Missouri

UTAGAWA TOYOKUNI III

三代目歌川豊国

1786-1865

PLAY TITLE:

Jitsugetsusei chūya no oriwake
日月星昼夜織分

ACTOR:

Ichikawa Kodanji IV
市川小団次
(This actor was known for his 'flying' stunts.)
We have added a new entry on this technique referred to as chūnori on our Bo thru Da index/glossary page.
To read more click on the highlighted words above.

ROLE:

"The Night-crawling Star"

夜這星

Yobai Boshi

PUBLISHER:

Kiya Sojirō

木屋宗次郎

DATE:

1859, 9th Month, 23rd Day

安政 6 年

Ansei 6

CARVER:

 Hori Ken

彫兼

SIZE:

14 1/8" X 9 3/4"

This is the right hand panel of a triptych.

There is another copy of this print at the

Hankyo Culture Foundation.

SOLD!

NAUGHTY! NAUGHTY!

Of course I have no way on knowing for sure, but I would be willing to bet that almost every language has its own hidden sexual puns and allusions.

We noted this on another page portraying a kabuki actor posed before a portable stand selling nihachi noodles.

(Click on the image below to go to that page and read about the sexual allusion between noodles and having sex with a purportedly sixteen year old girl.)

Recently I was listening to an interview on NPR with an expert in the classical languages. She stated confidently that there would be many more students of Latin

if they knew how bawdy the ancient texts could be. Japanese I am sure is no different. The term yobai (夜這い) means "night crawling"

as in "night crawling star". James Brandon in Kabuki: Five Classic Plays in the section on "Sukeroku: Flower of Edo" (U. of Hawaii Press, 1992 reprint, p. 86, note 22)

notes that yobai can mean either "secretly slipping in to see a girl at night" or "falling star".

Our contributor A.K. brought this to our attention, but we are just getting around to mentioning it.

Carver:

Hori Ken

Date Seal:

1859

Publisher:

Kiya Sojirō