Antique Japanese Woodblock Print/Triptych Jishi Spirit by Toyohara Kunichika c. Presented is a beautiful Japanese full oban-size original woodblock triptych print created by Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese: ; 30 June 1835 – 1 July 1900). Kunichika was a Japanese woodblock print artist. Talented as a child, at about thirteen, he became a student of Tokyo’s then-leading printmaker, Utagawa Kunisada. His deep appreciation and knowledge of kabuki drama led to his production primarily of yakusha-e, which are woodblock prints of kabuki actors and scenes from popular plays of the time.. The triptych consists of three oban-size prints with a bright red background popular in the late Meiji period. The print depicts a scene from a Kabuki dance called Shunkyo Kagami Jishi. It’s a fantasy whose story is related through the movements of the dancers. Yayoi, a young lady in waiting in the Shôgun’s palace at Edo, was chosen to perform the lion dance at the New Year celebrations, a ceremonial performance originally designed to exorcize evil spirits. Gradually, the spirit of the lion Jishi (or Shishi) entered her and took complete charge of her limbs. Jishi (or Shishi) is a lion-protector against evil spirits. On the left sheet of the triptych, you can see the main characters of the play (“Kabuki dance” was actually a play as well – a fusion of song, dance, and drama). One of the roles is played by Ichikawa Danjuro IX, a famous actor at the time. On the right sheet, you see Yayoi, with a wooden lion’s head that contained the Jishi spirit that possessed her. The Kabuki dance play “Shunkyô Kagami Jishi” was premiered in March 1893 at the Kabukiza Theater in Osaka. Kunichika actually made several prints and triptychs dedicated to this play. The title is Osaka Kabukiza Opening, Acting in the Middle Act. ” It also says “Toyo-do, Exclusive Sales Office, Dojima-naka 2-chome, ? -ku, Osaka City. AUTHOR: Toyohara Kunichika PUBLISHER: Takeemon Akiyama TITLE: Shunkyo Kagami Jishi CREATED: c. Paper METHOD OF PRINTING: Woodblock printing PRINTED: Lifetime printing circa 1890s OVERALL SIZE: Full oban size 14.25″ X 9.5″ 3 sheets. The condition is good. Great detail and colors, some minor toning and soiling of the paper. The margibs are trimmed. Some minor paper loss at the edges. No backing, no connection between the sheets – they are separated. The paper is fragile, be very careful! Get Supersized Images & Free Image Hosting. Attention Sellers – Get Templates Image Hosting, Scheduling at Auctiva. Track Page Views With.