Background
Imoseyama onna teikin (Mount Imo and Mount Se — An exemplary tale of womanly virtue, 妹背山婦女庭訓), written by Chikamatsu Hanji and others, premiered in 1771 as a puppet play (ningyô jôruri). It dramatizes historical events leading to the establishment of one of Japan's great families, the Fujiwara, and in particular the victory of its founder Fujiwara [Nakatomi] no Kamatari (614-669) over Soga no Iruka in 645. In the play, Iruka controls his lords (daimyô) by preventing alliances among them that might threaten his rule.
Two families, headed by Kiyozumi and Sadaka, are loyal to the emperor but are feuding and live on opposite sides of the Yoshino River. Complications arise when their children Koganosuke and Hinadori fall in love. After Iruka orders Koganosuke to serve him and Hinadori to become his mistress, the parents and young lovers see how desperate the situation has become with the tyrant Iruka. As the action takes place simultaneously in each house at opposite sides of the kabuki stage, Koganosuke (with his father's consent) commits ritual suicide (seppuku) to foil Iruka's plans. Not knowing of her lover's death, Hinadori initially considers agreeing to Iruka's lascivious demands as a way of saving Koganosuke from even more harm at the hands of Iruka, but when one of her doll's heads is accidentally knocked off, she takes it as a bad omen and allows Sadaka to behead her. When the parents realize what has happened to the other's child, they arrange a symbolic "marriage" as Sadaka floats Hinadori's head across the river on a horizontal harp (koto) decorated with her festival dolls.
Design
This impressive sheet, from one of Hokushû's most sought-after diptychs, portrays Kiyozumi and Sadaka, along with their children, after they have learned of Iruka's demands. Above their heads are flowering cherry blossoms (sakura) from trees growing along the banks of the Yoshinogawa. Koganosuke holds a long sword (katana).
The left sheet (not included here) depicts Nakamura Matsue III (中村松江) as musume [daughter] Hinadori (娘ひな鳥) holding one of her dolls from the Hina matsuri (Doll's Festival), celebrated on the third day of the third month, and Nakamura Utaemon III (中村歌右衛門) askôshitsu [widow] Sadaka (後室さだか).
This design was issued for what was supposed to be Utaemon's farewell performance in 1825 (he did not, however, retire). The block-cutter was the celebrated Yama Kasuke and the design is one of the notable portraits from the later period of Hokushû's career.
The colors are beautifully preserved on this deluxe printing. Both sheets of the diptych stand very well on their own, as can be seen in our impression of the right sheet.
References: IKBYS I, no. 96 (inv. no. ike-40617); KNZ, no. 85; IKB-I, no. 1-413; KNP-6, p. 77; TWOP, no. 16; NKE, p. 217; BRH, p. 176
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