Background
The Rokkasen (Six Immortal Poets: 六歌仙) were ninth-century literary giants whose names were first linked together in the poetic anthology Kokin wakashû (Collection of ancient and modern poems: 古今集) in 905 AD. The term kasen (immortals of waka, 和歌, or Japanese poems) was derived from the Chinese term shixian (Immortals of poems: 詩仙) and may have been adopted for the Rokkasen by the mid-10th century. (The Edo play title is read Rokkasen sugata no irodori with the same characters.). A much earlier Osaka version called Yosooi rokkasen (Six poets in colorful attire) was staged in 1789 by Arashi Hinasuke I (1741-96). For a later version, Nakamura Shikan II retained Hinasuke's structure but had the play re-choreographed and set to new music. The dances were fanciful mixtures of modernized domestic tales (mostly involving unrequited love for Ono no Komachi) and historical legends. The dance roles were usually performed in the manner of hengemono (transformation pieces 変化物) employing hayagawari (quick-change techniques 早替り).
Design
In the 1/1834 staging, Nakamura Baika (中村梅花) performed as Ono no Komachi (小野小町), the sole female role for all five dances. The other five roles were performed by Shikan II (there is no solo dance for Komachi). This was not only Hokuei’s only known hexaptych, but it also the only print design with his "Shun'ei" seal (春英).
The two sheets offered here commemorated a bravura performance by Shikan employing hayagawari techniques. Most unusually, three different publishers shared in the production of a single composition. In addition, this is not only Hokuei’s only known hexaptych, but it is also the only print design with his "Shun’ei" seal.
We are offering two prints from the Rokkasen set. The sheet on the right depicts Bunya no Yasuhide (文屋康秀) in the second dance, which is the most technically challenging. Bunya is a comical courtier fending off unwanted advances from court ladies while lusting after a recalcitrant Komachi.
The poem reads:
吹からに / 風のやなぎの / ふぜいかな
fukukara ni / kaze no yanagi no / fuzei kana (
Blown by the wind,/ the sound of the reeds / by the river.
In the fifth and final dance, Shikan depicts a corrupt Kuronushi attempting unsuccessfully to discredit Komachi during a poetry competition by forging her poem in an ancient anthology and accusing her of plagiarizing it. She clears her name by washing away the new ink and leaving the original inscriptions of the other poems intact. This sequence is less a dance than a series of dynamic poses (mie) that culminate in a fight between Kuronushi and the guards protecting Komachi.
The poem reads:
佐保姫に / 思ひ出たる黒(？)ころも
Sao-hime ni omoi idetaru / kuro (?) koro mo
Thinking of the black garment of Sao-hime
Other Impressions: Sheets from the Rokkasen set can be found in the British Museum (former John Adams Collection); MFA Boston (11.35182-85); Museum für Kunst & Gewerbe Hamburg (S2009.81-1–85-1); Náprstek Museum (376494 to 37498, 37527); National Museums Scotland (A.1887.745.49.5; 4R, A.1887.745.49.23); Philadelphia Museum of Art (69-208-163abc); and Rijksmuseum (RP-P-2008-571)
References:
- HOK: Hokuei. Master of Osaka Kabuki Prints (John Fiorillo). Ludion, 2024, cat. 150
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