Kabuki jūhachiban gajō 歌舞伎十八番画帖
FSC-GR-780.148.1-2
Commentary by Erin Schoneveld
Posted August 11, 2016

Kabuki jūhachiban gajō (Album of the kabuki eighteen) depicts each of the plays belonging to the Kabuki jūhachiban (The kabuki eighteen) codified by Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (1791–1859) to highlight the repertory of the Ichikawa Danjūrō line. The founder of the lineage, Ichikawa Danjūrō I 市川団十郎 (1660–1704), is credited as the originator of the powerful aragoto (荒事), or “rough style,” of acting that was the signature performance mode of the Ichikawa line and the trademark of the “Kabuki Eighteen” collection. Aragoto plays characteristically featured dramatic tales of the brave warrior. This, coupled with elaborate costumes, reflects the expressive spirit of the kabuki theater and of the Ichikawa Danjūrō acting lineage.

The two volumes of Kabuki jūhachiban have been bound together as an album (gajō 画帖) of prints. Each illustration positions a single actor in role across the opening, and the pose and sumptuously delineated robes showcase the boldness of the aragoto style as the performers strike dynamic poses (mie 見得) at a climactic moment in a play. The border framing the contents page is the Ichikawa Danjūrō family’s crest of three concentric rice measures. A cartouche in the upper left records the names of the dramas represented in the prints, and to the right is a peony, a flower associated with the Ichikawa Danjūrō line. A page at the end of each volume lists more detailed information about the pieces depicted. These annotations comprise a brief description of the play as well as its importance within the “Kabuki Eighteen” repertory.

The artist, Kaneko Saburō (dates unknown), was an illustrator known for his actor prints. In the image on pages 6–7 in the second volume, Kaneko employs vibrant blues, reds, greens, and yellows to portray the actor as the Buddhist guardian deity Fudō Myōō. In the play Fudō, the deity defends the throne against the usurper Prince Hayakumo in an effort to restore peace in the realm. Fudō Myōō was the titular deity for members of the Ichikawa family, most notably the Danjūrō and Ebizō lineages. Presumably to maximize the visual impact of the subject, Kaneko has placed the actor horizontally across the two-page opening, disregarding the centerfold in the overall compositional positioning.

The “Kabuki Eighteen” plays represented in this two-volume set are ordered as follows (the dates refer to their inaugural performance):

Vol. 1:

1) Yanone 矢の根 (The arrow sharpener; 1729, pp. 2–3)

2) Nanatsumen 七ツ面 (Seven masks; 1740, pp. 4–5)

3) Zōhiki 象引 (The elephant-pulling scene; 1701, pp. 6–7)

4) Fuwa 不破 (1680, pp. 8–9)

5) Kanjinchō 勧進帳 (The subscription list; 1840, pp. 10–11)

6) Sukeroku 助六 (1713, pp. 12–13)

7) Narukami 鳴神 (1684, pp. 14–15)

8) Shibaraku 暫 (Wait a minute!; 1697, pp. 16–17)

9) Uwanari 嫐 (Jealousy; 1699, pp. 18–19)

Vol. 2:

10) Uirō [uri] 外郎[売] (The medicine vendor; 1718, pp. 2–3)

11) Oshimodoshi 押戻 (The demon queller; 1727, pp. 4–5)

12) Fudō 不動 (The immutable one; 1697, pp. 6–7)

13) Kagekiyo 景清 (1739, pp. 8–9)

14) Jayanagi 蛇柳 (The snake willow; 1763, pp. 10–11)

15) Kan’u 關羽 (Guan Yu; 1737, pp. 12–13)

16) Kenuki 毛抜 (Tweezers; 1742, pp. 14–15)

17) Kamahige 鎌髭 (Beard and sickle; 1774, pp. 16–17)

18) Gedatsu 解脱 (Salvation; 1760, pp. 18–19)

The quality of the Pulverer copy is excellent with bold, beautiful color throughout; moreover, the paper and covers are pristine, with no staining or water damage.

Selected readings

Jack Hillier, The Art of the Japanese Book, 2 vols. (London: Sotheby’s Publications by Philip Wilson Publishers, 1987), see esp. pp. 99, 203, 573–98.

Kawatake Toshio, Ehon kabuki jūhachiban (Tokyo: Libro, 1984).

Helen Merritt, Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: The Early Years (Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 1990).

Helen Merritt and Nanako Yamada, Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900–1975 (Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 1992).

Copies in other collections

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York