Eijudō Hibino at Seventy-one (Toyokuni I)-Cedar Herald Index

Eijūdō Hibino at Seventy-one is an ukiyo-e woodblock print dating to around 1799 by Edo period artist Utagawa Toyokuni I. According to its inscription, the print was produced in commemoration of the featured subject, print publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi I's, seventy-first year. The print is part of the permanent collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada.

Utagawa Toyokuni I

Utagawa Toyokuni (歌川豐國), also known as Toyokuni I, was the second head of the Utagawa school, and one of the most influential and prolific print-makers of the Edo period. From early adolescence, he apprenticed with Utagawa Toyoharu, studying the style of his mentor, as well as those of Chōbunsai Eishi, Utamaro and Eishōsai Chōki. He achieved his greatest commercial success within the genres of bijinga (prints of beautiful women) and, more significantly, kabuki-e and yakusha-e (kabuki and kabuki actor prints). The latter constitute the "overwhelming majority" of his works.

Eijudō Hibino at Seventy-one (Toyokuni I)

His style is praised for its "powerful and vivid lines," "striking color contrasts," "decorative bombast," and "bold, taut designs." He is credited with innovating polyptych formats, and with training prominent pupils, including Kunisada and Kuniyoshi. The copiousness stemming from his success appears to have taken a toll, however. The contemporary consensus is that the quality of his later work "shows a marked decline," and even "degenerated frequently into sheer grotesquerie." Some contend his talent was "predominantly imitative," resulting more from study than "intuitive genius."

Eijudō Hibino at Seventy-one (Toyokuni I)

Nishimuraya Yohachi

Nishimuraya Yohachi (dates unknown) was one of the leading print publishers of the late 18th century. He founded the Nishimuraya Yohachi publishing house, also known as Nishiyo (西与), which operated in Nihonbashi's Bakurochō Nichōme under the shop name Eijudō. The firm's exact dates are unclear, but many art historians date its activity to between c. 1751 and 1860.

Eijudō Hibino at Seventy-one (Toyokuni I)

According to Andreas Marks, Nishimuraya's "success came from engaging the best artists and providing a broad range of prints to satisfy the public's interest." One of the press' most significant products was Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which appeared between c. 1830 and 1833. In addition to Hokusai and Toyokuni I, Nishimuraya Yohachi published prints by Chobunsai Eishi, Utagawa Kuniyasu and Utagawa Kunisada. Nishimuraya's store is immortalized in the 1787 print Scene of Print Buyers at the Shop of Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudou) on New Year’s Day by Torii Kiyonaga (1752-1815).

Print details

Medium: nishiki-e woodblock print on paper

Size: oban

Format: tate-e

Japanese title: none

Exhibit title: Portrait of Publisher Eijudō Hibino at age 71

Subject: commemoration of 71st year of Nishimuraya Yohachi

Text: ichi fuji ni/ ni taka iro yoshi/ san nasubi (First Fuji/ second a hawk of good colour/ third an eggplant); top left side of print Inscription: nanajūissai/ Eijūdō Hibino (七十一翁永寿堂日比野) ; lower left edge Signature: Toyokuni ga (豊国画), lower right edge (obscured by mat) Publisher mark: Mitsu tomoe mark (Nishimuraya Yohachi), lower right edge below signature Publisher seal: Eiju han (Nishimuraya Yohachi - 西村屋与八), bottom right corner (partially obscured by mat) Censor seal: none Date seal: none Genre: portrait Credit line: Gift of Sir Edmund Walker

Image

Depicted in the print is the seventy-one-year-old Nishimuraya Yohachi, seated on his mattress and bedding in front of a painted byōbu (屏風) folding screen. He is dressed formally in a winter haori coat and kimono, both decorated with a pattern of repeated 寿 (kotobuki) characters. Not only does this character signify "longevity," but it is also the second character in Eijudō (永寿堂), the name of Nishimuraya's shop.

On his lap, he holds a folded fan. He sits before a small, black lacquer lectern emblazoned with the mitsu tomoe logo representing his publishing house. Resting on the stand is an open book upon which Nishimuraya's gaze is resting. Given the fan and his posture, it is likely that he is engaging in the New Year's convention of reciting nō plays, an intended indication of the elegance and erudition of this "man of taste."