Nishimura Goun (1877 - 1938) Japanese Woodblock Print
Bunraku
Series; The Complete Works of Chikamatsu Monzaemon, First Edition, circa 1922 – 1926
The Complete Works of Chikamatsu Manzaemon - Published between 1922 and 1926, "The Complete Works of Chikamatsu Manzaemon" illustrates the works of the famous playwright Chikamatsu Manzaemon (1653 - 1725), considered one of Japan's greatest dramatists. He authored more than 100 plays, mainly for the bunraku puppet theater, including historical romances and domestic tragedies, often based on true events. Many of these popular tales were adapted for kabuki theater and are still performed today.
This beautiful series consists of 18 prints by leading artists of the Taisho era, including two important female painters, Shima Seien (1892-1970) and Uemura Shoen (1875-1949). From mysterious ghosts and poignant beauties to fierce deities and heroic warriors, each illustrates one of Chikamatsu's most memorable characters. Exquisitely carved by Yamagishi Kazue and expertly printed by Nishimura Kumakichi, many include deluxe printing techniques such as embossing, metallic flecks, mica, and hand-applied gofun pigment.
Bunraku - Bold image of a bunraku puppet of a fierce warrior. He grimaces angrily, his red stage makeup and strangely styled hair adding to his fierce appearance. The background is detailed with metallic gold flecks, adding a subtle shimmer, and the portrait is framed by a soft gray border to suggest the brocade trim of a hanging scroll. A great expressive figure.
About This Print
A bunraku puppet in the role of Kongômaru Terutada (the superhero), in a Shibaraku Interlude. One of 18 prints published from 1922 to 1926 as part of the celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the death of Chikamatsu Manzaemon (1623-1724), perhaps the greatest dramatist in the history of the Japanese theater. Each design illustrates a scene or character from one of Chikamatsu’s famous works. For more details on this series go to Supplements of the Complete Works of Chikamatsu Manzaemon.
Shibaraku Interlude
Source: Wikipedia website
A scene of roughly 50 minutes, Shibaraku is not a play unto itself, but a short drama inserted during interludes or in between full plays to provide variety and maintain a certain level of energy and interest on the part of the audience. The plot centers around the figure of Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa, who has become the stereotypical bombastic hero of the kabuki stage, with red-and-white striped makeup and strong, energetic movement. The historical Kamakura Kagemasa is famous for his bravery for having continued to fight after losing an eye in battle in the Gosannen War (1083-1087).
Biography
Nishimura Goun 西村五雲 (1877-1938)
Source: Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975, Helen Merritt, University of Hawaii Press, 1992, p. 110 and miscellaneous sources.
Nishimura Goun was born, and lived, in Kyoto and was initially the pupil of Kishi Chikudo (1826-1897) before studying under Takeuchi Seihō (1864-1942). He showed at the Nihon Bijutsu Kyokai (Japan Art Association) and then with the Zenkoku Kaiga Kyoshinkai (National Competitive Painting Exhibition). He was a prize winner at the first Bunten* in 1907 and was a member and frequent juror of the Teiten*. He was also a member of the Imperial Art Academy and a professor at various Kyoto Art schools. His subjects included flowers, fish (see silk scroll below), animals, birds and bunraku puppets. He was a Kyoto School painter and considered to be heir to Seiho in style. Primarily a painter, woodblocks were a minor part of his oeuvre. Merritt notes that his prints were carved by Yamagishi Kazue (c. 1893-1966) and printed by Nishimura Kumakichi who were responsible carving and printing the Supplements of the Complete Works of Chikamatsu Manzaemon.
* Juried art exhibitions under state control
Goun Nishimura was born in Kyoto - the town of the old imperial residence. He worked as a teacher for traditional Japanese painting at the Kyoto City Specialist School of Painting. His favorite subjects were natural life themes and actor scenes.
More about The Complete Works of Chikamatsu
The print series Supplements of the Complete Works of Chikamatsu was published around 1923 and consisted of 18 prints. Each print was designed by a different and well-established artist of the time. And each design represents a character from one of the play's written by Chikamatsu.
Who was Chikamatsu?
Chikamatsu Manzaemon, 1623-1724, was a famous playwright - first for the Kabuki theater and later for Bunraku, the Japanese puppet theater. Chikamatsu is sometimes referred as the Japanese Shakespeare.
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More about Bunraku - Traditional Puppet Theater
Bunraku is the Japanese form of puppet theater. Japanese consider it as a serious art form and not as entertainment for children. Bunraku is more than making puppets appear lively on a stage. It is also narrative chanting and shamisen music, by which the Japanese puppet theater is accompanied.
The images on this page are link-sensitive and take you to other articles or web sites in which you might be interested.
Bunraku Puppets
Bunraku puppets are pretty different from the ones known from European puppet theater.
First of all, the Japanese puppets are big - up to nearly life-size. And secondly, the mechanism of Bunraku puppets is more sophisticated compared to their mechanically challenged European relatives. A Bunraku puppet cannot only move its arms and legs. It can roll its eyes or form its fingers into a fist.
Not Like a Puppet on a String
No strings attached to Japanese Bunraku puppets! When Sandie Shaw had her number one hit in 1967 - Like a Puppet on a String, she probably had never heard of Japanese puppets. Bunraku puppets are not manipulated by strings from above a small stage window. They are rather displayed on a normal theater stage by one to three puppet operators - the puppeteers. And the puppeteers are fully visible!
Joruri and Shamisen
Next to the puppeteers comes the joruri performer. He is the great story teller and singer. The joruri narrator recites the story in a mixture of chanting and emotional telling. Narrators must have a strong voice and be able to get emotions across to the audience. Good narrators can create dozens of teary eyes or a big laugh in the audience in no time.
Next to the joruri narrator sits the shamisen player - another indispensable element of bunraku. The shamisen is an old traditional Japanese string instrument. It looks like a fancy three-string guitar and is pretty long. The shamisen music is more than just some background entertainment. It has a similar function like the orchestra in an European opera. The music supports the action and the mood required by a special play or scene.
The narrator and the shamisen player must be a good team. The harmony of their performance is important.
History of Bunraku Theater
Bunraku theater as it is known today, is about 400 years old - roughly as old as its big cousin, the kabuki theater. Compared to its snobbish, aristocratic relative, the noh theater, which traces go back to 1375, it is still pretty young in age.
As for the plays performed on bunraku stages, the situation is similar to their kabuki and noh relatives. Classic is best! Although new plays have been written after the war, the oldies and goodies from the 17th and 18th century are the ones performed most often.
One name should be mentioned - a famous playwright named Chikamatsu (1653-1724). Chikamatsu had written plays for the kabuki theater in the 17th century. Later he became interested in bunraku and wrote many of the classical stories.
Intangible Cultural Treasure
The official Japanese administration tries to preserve and support the old Japanese cultural heritage. Bunraku is among those art forms which were declared an intangible cultural treasure by the government.
Today Osaka City has a large, modern bunraku theater for up to 750 spectators - the National Bunraku Theater. It is the largest in Japan and was founded with government support. Another large theater with bunraku performances is the National Theater in Tokyo with four performances per year - not much for a big city like Tokyo.
Bunraku on Japanese Prints
Depictions of Bunraku puppets have been a popular subject for woodblock prints - although not as frequent to be found as Sumo wrestlers or images of courtesans. In the 1950s the artist Sadanabu III, Hasegawa, 1881-1963 designed a series of bunraku puppets, which was published by Uchida in Kyoto.
Bunraku
Series; The Complete Works of Chikamatsu Monzaemon, First Edition, circa 1922 – 1926
