Utagawa Toyokuni III, Kentoku-ko Playing Kemari (Court Football), from the series Hyakunin Isshu Esh

Utagawa Kunisada (also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III)

Hyakunin Isshu Esho (Illustrated Selections from One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each), No. 45: Kentoku-ko (Lord Kentoku)

An original ukiyo-e print of the Edo period.

Features and Appreciation

This work is from Toyokuni III's, also known as Kunisada's, popular bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) series, Hyakunin Isshu Esho. Inspired by the waka poem numbered 45, composed by Lord Kentoku, the composition incorporates the theme of kemari, a traditional courtly ball game.

A deerskin mari (ball) is depicted in fine detail at the center of the composition. At the lower left are traditional implements for carrying and supporting the ball, including a mari-basami (ball holder) and mari-dai (ball stand). These details illustrate contemporary customs and utensils, lending the work considerable historical and documentary interest.

This rare original Edo-period print is unmounted and retains its original state, without any later reinforcing paper backing. The texture of the washi paper used by the printers of the period can be appreciated directly, together with the pigments penetrating through to the reverse, imparting the distinctive texture and character associated with an original impression.

Condition

A horizontal fold runs across the center of the image.

Several small insect holes attributable to age are visible in the lower portion of the kimono and in unprinted areas.

Age-related spotting and discoloration are present along the edges and at the corners of the sheet.

The upper right of the reverse bears the handwritten character bing, the third of the Ten Heavenly Stems, presumed to be an inventory designation added by an earlier collector when organizing the collection. This detail, absent from modern reproductions, lends the work a tangible sense of its collecting history.

The surface characteristics and losses described above are consistent with the age and condition of an antique original ukiyo-e print.