Haru no iro Soga no utsushie 春色曽我模写画

FSC-GR-780.20

Commentary by Kurahashi Masae

Posted December 7, 2017

Original unedited text in Japanese follows

The theme of this erotic picture-book is the Soga kyōgen 曽我狂言 (plays on the Soga brothers), which were traditionally part of the New Year’s performances (hatsuharu kyōgen 初春狂言) in Edo kabuki. The book is presented in the manner of a kabuki script and deals with the love affairs of characters from the realm of the Soga narratives. The butterfly motif associated with Soga Gorō (曽我五郎) and the plover motif of Soga Jūrō (曽我十郞) are seen in the external title (gedai 外題), Chōchidori (蝶千鳥). This text is an extremely rare example of an erotic book done in the format of a theatrical script, and it was part of a fad for illustrated novels adopting a kabuki-script format by the artist Utagawa Kunisada and the writer Ryūtei Tanehiko (柳亭種彦) published between 1815 (Bunka 12) and 1831 (Tenpō 2). [1]

The title on the title sheet of volume 1 is printed in the style of a kabuki signboard using the Kantei-ryū (勘亭流) lettering style employed in kabuki publicity and programs. The following page (p. 2 on the website) lists the titles of acts 1 to 4. Volume 1 corresponds to the scenes of the cherry-blossom viewing at Tsurugaoka in act 1, volume 2 shows scenes from the Oniō’s hideout in act 2, and volume 3 depicts the scenes at Kudō’s mansion in act 4. There is no text relating to the scene at Kobukurozaka-Tsujidō in act 3, instead this is represented by the first illustration in volume 1.

The main text begins with instructions on aspects such as the installation of sets and stage directions. The first to fourth illustrations (kuchi-e) in volume 1, the sixth illustration in volume 1, as well as the first illustration in volume 2, all employ the likenesses of popular actors in roles of characters from Soga kyōgen. The book depicts Onoe Kikugorō III 三代目尾上菊五郎 (1784–1849) as Kudō Suketsune (工藤祐経); Ichikawa Ebizō V 五代目市川海老蔵 (1791–1859) as Soga Gorō (曽我五郎); Sawamura Tosshō I 初代沢村訥升 (1802–1853) as Soga Jūrō (曽我十郞); Bandō Mitsugorō IV 四代目坂東三津五郎 (1832–1850) as Asahina (朝比奈); and others. These actors actually performed these roles on stage. The facial likenesses in these illustrations allowed readers to enjoy the folly in the world of the Soga brothers in the main text by overlaying actors’ images onto Soga characters in the main text.

In his book Edo makurae shūsei: Utagawa Kunisadathe scholar Hayashi Yoshikazu described a copy (its current whereabouts unknown) in which the number of folios and the number of illustrations for the first and third volumes do not match. Moreover, one section of the illustration has been re-carved. [2] This work is believed to be a re-carved printing of the Pulverer copy, with alterations to the images and fewer illustrations. Two copies in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston have the external title Chōchidori, but there are significant variations in the Pulverer copy since the main text is printed from woodblocks of a totally different book and the re-carved woodblocks for the frontipieces are used as illustrations in the text.

書名春色曽我模写画

執筆者倉橋正恵

江戸歌舞伎において初春狂言として上演するのが通例であった曽我狂言を題材とし、歌舞伎の台本風に曽我の世界の登場人物達の情事を描いた艶本。外題の『蝶千鳥』とは、曽我五郎の蝶、曽我十郞の千鳥を表す。本書は非常に珍しい脚本形式の艶本であるが、これは文化12年（1815) から天保2年（1831）にかけて刊行された柳亭種彦作、歌川国貞画の歌舞伎脚本形式の絵入小説の流行を受けたものである。[1]

上巻の扉には歌舞伎の看板風に勘亭流で題が記され、次頁には第一番から第四番まで小名題風に書かれた目録が載る。上巻が第一の鶴ヶ岡花見の場、中巻が第二の鬼王隠れ家の場、下巻が第四の工藤館の場に相当する。小名題第三にあがる小袋坂辻堂の場に関する本文はないが、上巻口絵の第一図がこの場面に該当する。

本文は大道具の設定やト書きから始まり、上巻口絵の第一から第四図、第六図、中巻口絵の第一図までは、曽我狂言の登場人物に当時の人気役者達の似顔を用いている。例えば、工藤祐経に三代目尾上菊五郎、五郎に五代目市川海老蔵、十郞に初代沢村訥升、朝比奈に四代目坂東三津五郎などをあてているが、これらの役者は実際の舞台でもこうした役を演じている。読者は口絵の似顔によって曽我の人物へ各役者のイメージを重ねた上で、本文上で展開される曽我の世界での痴態を楽しんだのである。

なお、林美一氏が『歌川国貞』の中で紹介している本（現在、所在不明）は、上巻及び下巻の丁数と口絵数が異なり、口絵の一部も改刻されている。[2] したがって、この『歌川国貞』本は、本コレクション本の口絵数を減らし、図にも改訂を加えた改刻本であると考えられる。また、ボストン美術館所蔵の二本はいずれも『蝶千鳥』という外題を持つが、本書とは別の本の本文の板木に、改刻した口絵の板木を挿絵として組み合わせて作ったもので、本コレクション本との異同は大きい。

Selected readings:

Hayashi Yoshikazu 林美一, Edo enpon sukyandaru 『江戸艶本スキャンダル』(Tokyo: Shinchōsha 1997).

Hayashi Yoshikazu 林美一, Edo makurae shūsei: Utagawa Kunisada『歌川国貞』, vol. 10, Edo makurae shūsei『江戸枕絵集成』(Tokyo: Kawade Shobō Shinsha, [1989] 1994).

Copies in other collections:

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

[1] Hayashi 1997, 57–60.

[2] Hayashi 1989, 131–34, fig. 50.