|
|
|
☆｢The Place Utamaro Loved – Tochigi City｣ (Gabundo, September 1972)
 ・the original painting “Picture of Shoki” = painting located in Tochigi City ・“Picture of Sumo Wrestlers Daikoku and Hotei” = painting located in Tochigi City ・ “Mutama River (6 paintings)” (painting not located) The book was written by ukiyo-e researcher Yoshikazu Hayashi based on his investigation of the city. It presents eight color pictures of Utamaro’s masterpieces. This book is also listed in the 50th issue of “The Ukiyo-e Quarterly“. According to Hayashi, the painting “Picture of Shoki” is 81 centimeters high and 27 centimeters wide. The painting’s signature says “Kitagawa Utamaro Toyoaki” and Hayashi praised the brushworks for drawing head hair is amazingly painstaking. “Picture of Sumo Wrestlers Daikoku and Hotei” is also painted on a sheet of paper and it is 82 centimeters high and 39 centimeters wide. Hayashi states that “Utamaro, also being a great caricature painter, is a future research topic now”. Concerning these two paintings, he explained that the “Picture of Shoki” is a wall hanging for Boys’ Day on May 5th, and the “Picture of Sumo Wrestlers Daikoku and Hotei” was painted for Ebisu Festival. Both of them had been displayed at “Tochigi City Antique Exhibition” at Tochigi Museum from February till March 1975. Although they were missing after that , two works were discovered at a private residence in Tochigi Prefecture by our “Art-based town planning society and purchased by Tochigi City in 2010 “Mutama River” consists of six paintings (each measures 122×41 centimeters). “Mutama River” is a set of six paintings of rivers mentioned in traditional Japanese Waka, which are “Noda Tama River” (Miyagi), “Takano Tama River” (Wakayama), “Ide Tama River” (Kyoto), “Chofu Tama River” (Tokyo), “Noji Tama River” (Shiga), and “Mishima Tama River” (Osaka). Hayashi believes that “Mutama River” was painted around 1795-96 at the height of Utamaro’s career. According to Hayashi the painting demonstrates Utamaro’s high skills as a painter”. The book also contains the painting “Picture of Courtesans”. According to the owner of “Mutama River”, the life-sized “Picture of Courtesans” was set up every year around Ebisu festival at his wife’s birthplace in Oyama City. What striked him when looking at the painting was the woman’s friendly features and her large jowls. She seems to be on a trip and be accompanied by two other courtesans and the men behind her holding an umbrella over her head. In this book, Hayashi reveals his research that he conducted three times between 1962 and 1963. It also reveals his fourth research that he conducted in Tochigi City in 1971 in cooperation with Tochigi Chamber of Commerce, Tochigi Cultural Association, and local historians. It seems that this was when they confirmed the existence of “Picture of Shoki”, “Picture of Sumo Wrestlers Daikoku and Hotei”, and “Mutama River”.  |
 “Kamai” sixth-generation, Keizaburo Zenno (87) Sale of “Snow, Moon and Flowers”… “It was a shame to sell it…”- Relationship between “Kamai” and “Kamaki” The original “Kamai”, Ihee Zenno, born in 1757 was Kihee Zenno’s, the third-generation of “Kamaki”, younger brother. His hobby was collecting the precious rocks and it has been handed down from generation to gerenation. When they renamed the original and the second-generation of “Kamai”, they even put “Ishi-tei” and “Kiseki-in” in their new names which meanings were related to the “rocks”. Relationship between Utamaro and both of “Kamai” and “Kamaki” Kihyoue, the fourth-generation of “Kamaki”, was associated with Utamaro and he was Ihee’s nephew. The link between “Kamai” family and “Setsugekka” My grandmother was a daughter of “Kamaki” seventh-generation and married into the fourth-generation “Kamai” family. What I heard directly from my grandmother, the family had to give up either “Snow, Moon and Flowers” or the “rocks” they had been collecting due to their family’s business fiasco and they needed to help that family in Tokyo financially. And in the Meiji period, they decided to give up “Snow, Moon and Flowers” in tears since there is a possibility that the paintings can be burnt in a fire. When was “Snow, Moon and Flowers” sold? “Snow, Moon and Flowers” was sent over to France in the 20th year of the Meiji period (1887), so it must have been sold before that. To be exact, I think it was around October in the 19th year of the Meiji period (1886). It was sold by the third-generation of “Kamai” Ihei Zenno, who is my grandmother’s father, and he went into retirement from October 1st in that year. It is said so on the official family registry as well. It seems that he retired from his position and replaced with the fourth-generation after he sold this family treasure “Snow, Moon and Flowers”. Are there any other episodes about “Snow, Moon and Flowers? In the article of Tokyo Asahi Newspaper on 17th January 1930, it said that they found a sketch of “Snow, Moon and Flowers” in Nikko-city. And its headline told us that this sketch would be worth 100,000 yen. So everyone in “Kamai” family was talking about it and saying, “even its sketch is worth that much. So it would be worth more than 1,000,000 yen for all three pictures of “Snow, Moon and Flowers”. What a shame we sold it…”. Even housemaids and visitors kept asking us what happened to Utamaro’s picture we had. Are there any connections between Nikko-city, “Snow, Moon and Flowers” and the Zenno family? The original of “Kamaki” family Kizaemon’s second wife was from Kiyotaki in Nikko-city so maybe that’s where “Snow, Moon and Flowers” was from. “Setsugekka” was displayed at the exhibition at Jogan-temple on 23rd January in the 12th year of the Meiji period (1869) When I was little (in the 1930’s-40’s), there were some people who knew about that exhibition. Chouhei Satou who is a son of “Kamai” family said, “we carried “Snow, Moon and Flowers” rolled like a log on our shoulder from “Kamai” family’s house”. Also he repeatedly told me proudly that he offered an opinion to Ihei Zenno that it’s a shame to sell such worthwhile work like “Snow, Moon and Flowers”. He also often complained that “Kamai” did not need to suffer if they still had “Snow, Moon and Flowers”. (It interviewed in December, 2009.) The fourth-generation of “kamaki” family Kihyoe was associated with Utamaro and it is thought that Utamaro came to stay at “Kamaki” many times and that he created great works there such as “Snow, Moon and Flowers”. In “Study about pornographic book Utamaro 2nd edition” written by Yoshikazu Hayashi who has been doing research on Ukiyo-e, it says, in the conversation with the eighth-generation of “Kamaki” Kihei, that “it seemed that Mr. Tokunari held like a painting exhibition for Utamaro. *snip* Contrary to their expectation, the reception for this exhibition was less than stellar. *snip* Utamaro must have been very disappointed, so the original of “Kamai” family felt sorry for Utamaro and asked him to create a triplicate big piece “Snow, Moon and Flowers”.  |
|
☆Art Newspaper ｢2nd issue of Japanese Art｣ (1st February 1936)
 ・｢Painting of Pile-Driving at Uzuma River｣ (painting not located) ・｢Picture of Woman Dharma｣ = painting located in Tochigi City ・｢Picture of Bamboo｣ (painting not located) ・｢Still Object｣ (painting not located) ・｢Picture of Sumo Wrestlers Daikoku and Hotei｣ = painting located in Tochigi City ・｢Picture of Shoki｣= painting located in Tochigi City ・｢Four Fusuma Door Pictures of a Few Life-Sized Beautiful Women in a Standing Position｣ This periodical is one of the Art newspapers, and according to Yoshigazu Hayashi, the author of “The Place Utamaro Loved – Tochigi City”, the article seems to be written by ukiyo-e researcher Tsukuba Shimada. As the feature article of the periodical was dedicated to Utamaro, an article about the relations between Utamaro and Tochigi City and a listing of Utamaro’s masterpieces kept in Tochigi City (such as the “Painting of Pile-Driving at Uzuma River”) were included as well. ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ “Picture of Pile-Driving at Uzuma River” is a colored silk, its size is unknown, though. It shows two men piling near the water. One of the picture’s main feature is Utamaro’s signature saying “Utamaro - 43 years old”. Also, Tsuyotei’s comic tanka poem and his signature are being inscribed in the upper-left part of the painting. Tsuyotei and Kihei Zenno are believed to be the same person and represented the fourth generation of the “Kama-ki” family. It is said that he was associated with Utamaro. The existence of this painting was revealed at the “World Exhibition of Utamaro – Commemoration of Expo” (sponsored by Mainichi Shimbunsha), which was held from Jan. 4th to 20th 1970 at Odakyu Department Store, Tokyo. This color picture is the same as the one presented in the exhibition catalog.  “Picture of Woman Dharma” was discovered at a private residence in Tochigi City and purchased by Tochigi City. The painting depicts the upper body of a courtesan disguising herself as a Buddhist dharma wearing a red robe. The painting is 36.5 centimeters long and 56.5 centimeters wide. It is believed that it originated between 1790 and 1793 but it’s not clear whether it was painted in Tochigi City or not. When the city determined its location, its holder said that he acquired the painting from a junk dealer paying 3,000 yen and contributed it to a commercial show of the local TV station but it was never exhibited on the show. According to Tatsuya Watanabe’s book “New Historical Authenticity – Utamaro and Tochigi”, the owner of the “Picture of Sumo Wrestlers Daikoku and Hotei” and the “Picture of Shoki” gave the “Picture of Bamboo” to one of his family tribes but the painting disappeared when that family tribe died out. There is no solid information related to the painting “Still Object”.  Both paintings “Picture of Sumo Wrestlers Daikoku and Hotei” and “Picture of Shoki” were discovered at a private residence in Tochigi Prefecture by our “Art-based town planning society and purchased by Tochigi City in 2010. The “Art Newspaper” also noted that unfortunately the painting “Four Fusuma Door Pictures of a Few Life-Sized Beautiful Women in a Standing Position” got burnt in the fire. |
 ☆Tokyo Asahi Shimbun January 17th, 1930 ・Epic Original Painting ｢Tsuki-no-Byobu (Folding Screen of the Moon)｣ (not been located) “Utamaro’s hidden masterpiece was not found - Extraordinary hand-painted folding screen with a current value of 100,000 Yen”. With this big headline, the newspaper reported that the sketch of “Moon” had been discovered in Nikko. This folding screen consists of six panels and it is about 3.2 meters wide and 1.4 meters high. According to expert opinion, a sketch of “Moon” - one painting of the triptych “Snow, Moon and Flowers” - was drawn at his friend Zenno’s place. It is also said that the sketch was found in an antique shop located in Nikko by an expert from Tokyo in November the year before. The following year in February, the same folding screen was introduced as “Moon” in the 12th volume of “Ukiyo-e Corpus, Utamaro”, also stating that “the announcement in the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun made this folding screen famous in one fell swoop”. |
|
There are more than ten different background materials such as Utamaro’s original paintings that might support the assumption that Utamaro was staying in Tochigi City. We are going to present them in chronological order, which is in line with the main literature and documents.
☆｢The list of exhibited calligraphic works and paintings｣ (23rd November 1879) ・｢”Snow, Moon and Flowers” – a set of triptych paintings (“Snow” has not been located).  The copy of this list is kept at the Okada Museum in Kaemon Town (Tochigi City). The list confirms that all three pictures of “Snow, Moon and Flowers” were on display during the exhibition held at Joganji Temple in the town of Asahi. “Moon” is now kept in the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., and “Flowers” is exhibited in the Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art in Hartford (USA). However, “Snow” still hasn’t been located. The triptych was also introduced in the second issue of the art magazine “Japanese Art” (February 1, 1936 issue of “Japanese Art”). The magazine states that “Moon” was kept in a museum, and “Flowers” and “Snow” were in private hands at that time. It is believed that the triptych, including the missing painting “Snow”, was sent to Paris, France in 1887. In his worldwide famous book called “Utamaro”, written in 1891, French Utamaro researcher Edmond De Goncourt stated that the huge hanging scroll, which he had seen at a fine arts dealer in France might have been “Snow”. Despite the existence of several theories, the whereabouts of the phantom work “Snow” is still unknown. It is said that it was exhibited during the second ukiyo-e exhibition at Matsuzakaya Ginza store around April/May 1948, but this remains uncertain due to the lack of confirming sources. |