- Artist
歌川国芳山口屋藤兵衛版
- Title
- 近江の国の勇婦於兼
- Year
- 1830年～1844年
- Medium
- 木版色摺
- Dimensions/duration
- 26.3×36.3, 1枚
- Collection
- 神戸市立博物館Kobe City Museum
- Notes
- 中世日本の説話を集めて13世紀に成立した『古今著聞集』の「巻十 相撲強力」に、近江の国に住んでいた「金（かね）」という遊女の話があります。東国からやってきた武士が、乗ってきた馬を琵琶湖に入らせて休ませていたところ、突然暴れだしました。何人かで引き留めようとしましたが、馬はお構いなく走り回ります。そこにたまたま遊女の金が通りかかり、すこしも慌てることなく、下駄を履いたままで馬の端綱を踏みつけただけで、馬を曳き止めてしまいました。踏みつけた足は足首まで地面にのめり込んだそうです。<br/><BR/>本図は、このような昔話を題材にしていますが、歌川国芳は、陰影表現を強調した洋風の背景と典型的な美人図として描かれた金（この錦絵では「於兼」）の意表を突く組合せで、この豪快な一場面を幻想的な世界に仕立てています。特に、金（於兼）の怪力で急停止させられ、衝撃で後ろ足で宙を激しく蹴り上げようとする暴れ馬は、微妙な陰影表現で筋骨隆々とした立体感と重量感を示し、浮世絵らしく平板に描かれた怪力女と見事な対比をなしています。近年の研究により、この暴れ馬は、当時長崎に舶来し、石川大浪が所持していた洋書『イソップ物語』の銅版挿絵「馬とライオン」から着想を得ていることがわかりました。<br/><br/>【江戸の絵画】In the 13th century collection "Kokin Shokumon Shu," which is a collection of Japanese legends from the Middle Ages, there is a story about a prostitute named "Kane," who lived in the country of Omi. A warrior from the eastern part of the country let his horse ride into Lake Biwa to rest, when it suddenly began to run amok. A group of people tried to stop him, but the horse ran around without care. A prostitute named Kin happened to pass by, and without the slightest panic, she simply stepped on the horse's reins with her clogs on and stopped it. The foot that he stepped on went into the ground up to his ankle. <BR/><BR/>This painting is based on such an old tale, but Utagawa Kuniyoshi has created a fantastic world of this dynamic scene with the unexpected combination of a Western-style background emphasizing shadowy expressions and gold ("Eoken" in this nishikie), depicted as a typical beauty. In particular, the horse is brought to an abrupt halt by the monstrous force of the gold (O-Ken), and the shock causes the horse to kick up violently in the air with its hind legs, showing a muscular three-dimensionality and weight through subtle shading that contrasts beautifully with the monstrous woman depicted in a flat, ukiyo-e style. Recent research has revealed that this rampaging horse was inspired by the copperplate illustration "Horse and Lion" from the Western book "Aesop's Fables," which was imported to Nagasaki at the time and owned by Dainami Ishikawa. <br/><br/>[Painting in Edo
- Data extracted from Bunka Isan Dētabēsu (Cultural Heritage Database) by Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō). Extracted January 21, 2022.
- 2024-12-10
- 2026-02-10