{"product_id":"estampe-japonaise-originale-utagawa-kuniyoshi-awa-no-jurobei-sharp-blades-edo-1848","title":"Original Japanese Woodblock Print – Utagawa Kuniyoshi – Awa no Jūrōbei – Skillfully Tempered Blades – Edo 1848","description":"\u003cp\u003eTraditional Ukiyo-e print, woodblock print. \u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e[This print is not a modern reproduction]\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"417\" data-end=\"478\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"417\" data-end=\"437\"\u003ePrint type:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem data-start=\"438\" data-end=\"447\"\u003eMusha-e\u003c\/em\u003e (dramatic warrior print)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"480\" data-end=\"564\"\u003e🎨 \u003cstrong data-start=\"483\" data-end=\"496\"\u003eArtist:\u003c\/strong\u003e Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川 国芳\u003cbr data-start=\"520\" data-end=\"523\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"523\" data-end=\"564\"\u003e(signed: Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi ga 一勇斎国芳画)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"566\" data-end=\"617\"\u003e📅 \u003cstrong data-start=\"569\" data-end=\"589\"\u003ePublication date:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1847–1848 (late Edo period)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"619\" data-end=\"724\"\u003e📜 \u003cstrong data-start=\"622\" data-end=\"635\"\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Iseya Ichibei 伊勢屋市右衛門\u003cbr data-start=\"657\" data-end=\"660\"\u003e(renowned publisher active in the 1840s, close to Kuniyoshi)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"726\" data-end=\"772\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"729\" data-end=\"751\"\u003eCensor seal:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mera 米良 and Murata 村田\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"774\" data-end=\"820\"\u003e📏 \u003cstrong data-start=\"777\" data-end=\"789\"\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e O-Ban Tate-e (approx. 25 × 37.2 cm)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"774\" data-end=\"820\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin\u003c\/strong\u003e: Japan, discovered in Nara prefecture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"822\" data-end=\"943\"\u003e📌 \u003cstrong data-start=\"825\" data-end=\"848\"\u003eSeries title:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"848\" data-end=\"851\"\u003e鏗鏘手練鍛の名刄 (\u003cem data-start=\"861\" data-end=\"895\"\u003eSkillfully Tempered Sharp Blades\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003cbr data-start=\"896\" data-end=\"899\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"899\" data-end=\"943\"\u003e\"Famous blades forged with virtuosity\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"945\" data-end=\"1249\"\u003e⚔️ \u003cstrong data-start=\"948\" data-end=\"970\"\u003eDepicted sword:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"970\" data-end=\"973\"\u003eKatana attributed to \u003cstrong data-start=\"991\" data-end=\"1008\"\u003eRai Kunitsugu\u003c\/strong\u003e 来国次 – swordsmith from the Kamakura period (12th–14th century).\u003cbr data-start=\"1066\" data-end=\"1069\"\u003eThis sword is among the great classic Japanese blades: refined tempering, balanced sharpness, it embodies the rigor of the smith as much as the nobility of destiny.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-start=\"1256\" data-end=\"1270\"\u003eSubject:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1271\" data-end=\"1448\"\u003eThis dramatic print illustrates the character of \u003cstrong data-start=\"1321\" data-end=\"1339\"\u003eAwa no Jūrōbei\u003c\/strong\u003e, a tragic figure from \u003cstrong data-start=\"1374\" data-end=\"1385\"\u003eBunraku\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"1389\" data-end=\"1399\"\u003eKabuki\u003c\/strong\u003e theater, in the play \u003cem data-start=\"1415\" data-end=\"1437\"\u003eKeisei Awa no Naruto\u003c\/em\u003e (傾城阿波の鳴門).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1450\" data-end=\"1754\"\u003eA former samurai fallen from grace, Jūrōbei lives in hiding. Separated from his daughter \u003cstrong data-start=\"1539\" data-end=\"1548\"\u003eOtsuru\u003c\/strong\u003e for years, he encounters her without recognizing her as she begs at his door. In a poignant scene, he suspects her of being a spy and brutally abuses her, grabbing her by the collar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1756\" data-end=\"1937\"\u003eKuniyoshi captures this tragic moment with striking dramatic intensity: the father is unaware that he is assaulting his own daughter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-start=\"1944\" data-end=\"1968\"\u003eNotable details:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"1972\" data-end=\"2115\"\u003eThe expression of \u003cstrong data-start=\"1988\" data-end=\"1999\"\u003eJūrōbei\u003c\/strong\u003e, jaw clenched around a piece of cloth, expresses both the violence of the act and his own inner pain.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"2118\" data-end=\"2247\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong data-start=\"2118\" data-end=\"2127\"\u003eOtsuru\u003c\/strong\u003e, in a blue kimono adorned with flowers, is depicted in a fleeing posture, face terrified: a figure of sacrificed innocence.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"2250\" data-end=\"2427\"\u003eThe sword visible at the father's belt is both a decorative accessory and a silent symbol of the inflexibility of fate — a direct echo of the series' theme on swords.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-start=\"2434\" data-end=\"2447\"\u003eCondition:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2448\" data-end=\"2629\"\u003eOriginal period print in good condition.\u003cbr data-start=\"2494\" data-end=\"2497\"\u003e➕ Well-preserved original colors, no paste-ups.\u003cbr data-start=\"2548\" data-end=\"2551\"\u003e➖ Discreet creases visible on the paper, and slight traces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-start=\"2636\" data-end=\"2659\"\u003e🦝 \u003cstrong data-start=\"2643\" data-end=\"2659\"\u003eOur opinion:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2660\" data-end=\"2930\"\u003eThis work is one of the most poignant prints in the entire \u003cem data-start=\"2733\" data-end=\"2767\"\u003eSkillfully Tempered Sharp Blades\u003c\/em\u003e series. It doesn't just illustrate a legendary sword — it \u003cstrong data-start=\"2832\" data-end=\"2929\"\u003estages the blind brutality of a destiny forged by exile, shame, and broken loyalty\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2932\" data-end=\"3128\"\u003eThe sword of \u003cstrong data-start=\"2944\" data-end=\"2961\"\u003eRai Kunitsugu\u003c\/strong\u003e, invisible but evoked in the series, finds its reflection here in Jūrōbei's attitude: tempered in pain, unknowingly cutting down what is dearest to him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3130\" data-end=\"3395\"\u003eThe composition is tense, the gazes moving, the fabrics detailed with remarkable finesse.\u003cbr data-start=\"3236\" data-end=\"3239\"\u003eIt is a rare, striking work of great emotional power, testifying to Kuniyoshi's art of \u003cstrong data-start=\"3346\" data-end=\"3395\"\u003etranscending theater into pictorial tragedy.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3130\" data-end=\"3395\"\u003eKuniyoshi is renowned for his dynamic compositions and spectacular scenes. Explore other original prints in our collection of \u003ca title=\"Original Japanese prints by Kuniyoshi and contemporaries\" href=\"https:\/\/kogedo.com\/collections\/estampes-japonaises\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"1048\" data-start=\"1025\"\u003eJapanese prints\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"KOGEDO","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51397844435283,"sku":"E65","price":380.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0937\/8562\/0819\/files\/estampe-kuniyoshi-awa-no-jurobei-detouree.png?v=1752411058","url":"https:\/\/kogedo.com\/en\/products\/estampe-japonaise-originale-utagawa-kuniyoshi-awa-no-jurobei-sharp-blades-edo-1848","provider":"KOGEDO","version":"1.0","type":"link"}