Kunichika Toyohara "Meiji-za Theatre Shin-Kyogen, Jiraiya Goketsu Banashi"
- eddy wertheim
- Jan 9
- 2 min read
Kunichika Toyohara
”Meiji-za Theatre Shin-Kyogen, Jiraiya Goketsu Banashi”
1898
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Today, we once again introduce an yakusha-e (actor print). As many of you may know, this scene is taken from The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant (Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari).
Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari tells the story of Jiraiya, who sets out on a journey with the aim of restoring his family line. Along the way, he meets Princess Tsunade; the two become husband and wife and ultimately take revenge on their sworn enemy, Orochimaru.
Many readers may be familiar with these names, as the anime and manga NARUTO features ninja characters bearing the same names as these three central figures.
Jiraiya, a master of magical arts, frequently appears as a subject in ukiyo-e. In this particular work, however, he is depicted not with a toad, but together with a great eagle. While searching for Orochimaru, Jiraiya also acts as a righteous outlaw; at critical moments, he summons a great eagle through his sorcery to escape danger and come to the aid of others.
This scene is known in kabuki for its use of chūnori, a dramatic stage technique in which the actor appears to soar through the air above the stage along with stage props. While modern performances employ wires to ensure safety, during the Edo and Meiji periods, actors were reportedly hoisted aloft using ropes, making it a truly life-risking spectacle.
Jiraiya’s dramatic entrance astride the great eagle is depicted across a full triptych, filling the entire pictorial space and vividly conveying the powerful impact such a scene would have had on audiences.
The fur-like sections of his kimono are rendered using omote-zuri (frontal printing), while karazuri (blind embossing) is applied to the hilt of his sword. In the composition of the eagle, Jiraiya, and the pine tree, as well as in the masterful use of negative space, one can clearly sense Kunichika’s distinctive artistic sensibility.
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