Masukagami (1 results)

24 beautiful & richly colored paintings (each 210 x 271 mm.), each mounted on highly decorated boards. Oblong 4to (254 x 315 mm.), orig. silk brocade (somewhat worn) over covers, richly decorated endpapers with landscapes, mists, & clouds of gold (kindei) or patterns of cut gold. [Japan]: mid-Edo. A magnificent album of paintings of 24 Japanese women, glorious or tragic, in mythology, literature, and history. Their highly cultured lives represent the qualities of bravery, endurance, intelligence, devotion, and redemption, all highly valued in Japanese society. Each of the 24 paintings is finely executed by brush and multiple colors of pigments and metallic paints, luxuriously applied. Their kimono robes are rich and heightened in gold. The women are all placed in tasteful rooms or finely designed gardens and landscapes. Each image is rich with meaning and represents crucial moments in the women?s lives. Oftentimes their historical roles are revealed by suggestion or image. Many of the authors are seated at low desks with manuscripts in front of them and writing tools alongside. The women portrayed are: 1. Tamayo no hime, the mother of Emperor Jimmu, the mythical first emperor of Japan; 2. Shuntokumaru oto no hime, evil stepmother of Shuntokumaru, legendary figure in Japanese traditional drama, who later redeems herself by saving her stepson from death while giving up her own life; 3. Izumi Shikibu (10th-11th century), poet; 4. Izutsu no mae, a female spirit in Izutsu (The Well Cradle), a famous Noh play written by Zeami, based on the love story from Ise Monogatari; 5. Seish? nagon (ca. 966-1017/25), poet, author of The Pillow Book, and court lady who served Empress Teishi; 6. Onna san no miya, a character in The Tale of Genji, whose naivete and lack of strong personality led to tragic consequences; 7. Tamakazura, another character in The Tale of Genji, her story notable for its depiction of women?s limited autonomy during the period; 8. Ono no Komachi, 9th-century poet, one of the ?Six Poetic Geniuses? (Rokkasen) of the period; 9. Kok? no mae; 10. Ch?sh? hime (8th century), a legendary figure in Japanese folklore and Buddhist tradition; 11. Hon tengoku tennyo gozen (or Suzuka Gozen), celestial maiden and warrior; 12. Kokiden, a major character and political antagonist in The Tale of Genji, who relentlessly pursues her family?s advancement; 13. Somedono no kisaki, also known as Fujiwara no Akirakeiko (829?899/900), prominent empress consort (ny?go) of Emperor Montoku, the mother of Emperor Seiwa in the Heian period, and political schemer; 14. Ise (ca. 877-ca. 940), noblewoman and poet, one of the ?Thirty-Six Poetic Geniuses? (Sanj?rokkasen) of the 10th century; 15. Matsukaze Murasame, who with her sister Murasame, was a central character ? spirit maiden ? in one of the most celebrated Noh plays, Matsukaze (Wind in the Pines); 16. Hotoke gozen (or Tokiwa Gozen, 1123-60), whose life is told in the Heike monogatari; 17. Ayame no mae, a character from Japanese legend and classical literature, who often symbolizes grace and reward through heroic deeds; 18. Tomoe Yamabuki, legendary female samurai from the late Heian period; 19. Tokiwa gozen (late 12th century), famous for her bravery and strength in combat and mother of Ushiwaka-maru (Minamoto no Yoshitsune), a famous samurai hero; 20. J?ruri gozen, also known as Princess J?ruri (J?ruri-hime), who had a tragic love affair with Ushiwaka-maru; 21. Bunsh? no hime, one of the daughters of Bunsh?, a lowly salt maker, who became renowned for her beauty and talent, attracting proposals from lords and even courtiers; 22. Shizu no gozen (1165?1211), also known as Lady Shizuka, a renowned shiraby?shi (female court dancer) in the 12th century, who became famous as the tragic lover of the legendary warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune; 23. Tora gozen, concubine of Soga Sukenari, and a central figure in the legendary ?Revenge of the Soga Brothers? incident of the early Kamakura period, who after Sukenari?s death, became a nun, traveling to conduct memorial services in his honor; 24. K?t? no naishi, a historical court lady (naishi) at the imperial court and a recurring character in Edo-period kabuki theater, who figures in Teiheiki (Chronicle of a Great Peace). In fine condition; preserved in an oldish box. The binding is a little worn, and the first four and the final three boards are a little wormed.