Tosen Muko (Kyogen), from the series "Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue)"
- Date:
- 1898
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tosen Muko, identified here as a Kyogen, is a Meiji woodblock print by Tsukioka Kogyo, published in 1893 in Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue). Kyogen are the comic interludes performed between the more solemn noh plays, and Tosen Muko humorously dramatizes a Chinese son-in-law's exchange with his Japanese father-in-law, mining bicultural misunderstanding and family negotiation for laughter. Kogyo, a pupil of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Ogata Gekko, applies the same disciplined attention to kyogen that he brings to noh, recording the simpler kataginu vest and hakama trousers worn by kyogen actors against the bare cedar stage. The composition follows the noh-e convention of a low ground line and minimal background, isolating the figure so the viewer can appreciate gesture and costume detail. Color is restrained but more spirited than in tragic plays - cheerful blues, mustard yellow and warm browns - in keeping with the levity of kyogen. The keyblock holds the silhouette of the actor's stance firmly, while subtle [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations animate the costume. Pictures of No Performances, issued by Matsuki Heikichi, included a substantial number of kyogen designs alongside the principal noh plays, reflecting the integrated nature of the noh program. Kogyo's documentary approach drew on his unusual access to the Meiji noh revival at the [Hosho](/glossary/hosho) and Kanze schools. The Art Institute of Chicago holds this print as part of its broader Kogyo collection, where it serves as evidence of his command of noh-e and Meiji woodblock craft. Source: Art Institute of Chicago (https://www.artic.edu/artworks/155396).
1898/1903
Color woodblock print; left sheet of oban diptych (right: 1943.833.42a)
1898/1903
Color woodblock print
1898
Color woodblock print
1898
Color woodblock print
Tosen Muko (Kyogen), from the series "Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue)" was created by Tsukioka Kōgyo (月岡耕漁) in 1898.
Tosen Muko (Kyogen), from the series "Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue)" depicts theater.
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