Hirokage | Fox-fires at Oji, Comical Views of Famous Places in Edo
歌川広景 Utagawa Hirokage (active 1855–1865)
江戸名所道化尽 王子狐火
Fox-fires at Oji, from the series Comical Views of Famous Places in Edo
1859
木版画 | 纵绘大判 | 37cm x 25cm
Woodblock-print | Oban tate-e | 37cm x 25cm
早期版次；品相非常好
Early impression; very good condition
SOLD
《江户名所道戏尽》，是歌川广景于1859年至1861年创作的纵绘风景画系列，整套连同一张目录在内共计51幅。全作虽以江户名所命名，但并未将风景作为描绘的重点，相反地，画面中的人们才是真正的主角：斗嘴、使坏、生闷气、忙里偷闲等众生百态让人忍俊不禁。画风虽不至于“崩坏”，但也足以让江户子们耳目一新。传说每年的大晦日（除夕），稻荷神的狐狸使者们都会从日本东部各地聚集于王子稻荷神社的大朴树前，盛装打扮一番。它们的口中将呼出一团团幽幽的狐火，而后组成浩浩荡荡的队伍前往神社参拜。住在附近的农家，每年也都会以狐火的数量占卜着新一年庄稼的丰歉情况。灰蓝的夜空下，王子稻荷神社周边的广袤农田里狐火束束。一队天性好游乐玩闹的狐狸们，演绎着“低配版”的大名行列：没有华美的莳绘挟箱，那就扛着大南瓜吧；缺少长长的毛枪？用竹篙绑上玉米杆代替也不赖；大名驾笼的确挺难弄到，诶，前几天顺手从农户家里拿的大笸箩就挺像的嘛！至于那个在笸箩里端坐着叉手大笑的老兄，还真不知他是变作农夫的狐狸，还是伪装成狐狸同伴的真农夫呢？看着狐狸们煞有介事的样子，真是使人哑然失笑。画内画外，此时都沉浸在了一种荒诞喜剧的氛围中。在本作中，广景显然是有意致敬了师傅广重《名所江户百景》中的《王子装束之木大晦日之狐火》，只是增添了不少解构的趣味性。鬼马精灵般的天才广景用这样一张作品，寄托了对先师的深深怀念。
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Utagawa Hirokage (active 1855–1865)
Humor has always had a place in Ukiyoe. It can be subtle, like a peek at a brothel customer’s pipe in an Eisen. Not-so-subtle, like a human head made out of naked bodies drawn by Kuniyoshi. Or really really not subtle at all, like the size of certain body parts in shunga that are, how shall we say, somewhat exaggerated.
But for a real feast of Edo-era laughs, nothing beats Utagawa Hirokage’s Comical Views of Famous Scenes of Edo from 1859. The second most well-known student of Hiroshige, the other being Shigenobu, or Hiroshige II, the details of Hirokage’s life are scarce, but this series is something else. It is both a hommage to, and a satire of, Hiroshige’s 100 Famous Views of Edo.
The backgrounds evoke the master, and we recongize many famous places. But in the foreground, all manner of mayhem unfolds. Workers tumble off the top of scaffolds. Lords emit foul bodily odors. Nasty badgers put villagers into a trance and march them through a field. It’s all pretty crazy.
Alas, not all the humor holds up well today, especially in those prints that suggest the subjects suffered serious injuries. But many of the designs have stood the test of time.