Posted by Dan (24.58.4.235) on January 14, 2006 at 03:16:12:
In Reply to: Yoshitsuya - comical calender print. posted by Guy Pepermans on January 13, 2006 at 21:50:24:
Hi Guy,
I've had a chance to crack a book now (Edo no Asobi-e, by Inagaki Shin'ichi and Fukuda Shigeo) and compare this to other uke-e, as well as to refresh a bit about the genre.
Let me start by correcting my overly hasty transcription of the title and the writing in the box. First, not "mokusei", but "kishou" (same meaning of "wood type"). The characters in the box of course does not read straight down but across right to left, and for reason of space, the character for "years old" (sai) is left off after the tenth year, leading to my confusion. Other uke-e continue to add "sai" for clarity, but this is simply implied here.
The years thus read in a fairly regular ascending order (generally in pairs with a seven year gap between them, though with occasional gaps, maybe for yakudoshi? (set bad luck years.)) These are the particular ages for someone of the element type mentioned on the print to enter their "uke" (the "uke ni iri" of the title) in this particular year, a cause for celebration.
So what is an "uke"? According to this astrological system, based on the lunar calendar and popular in the nineteenth century, one regularly entered a period of good fortune, called "uke" and remained in it for seven years. Thereafter, one entered a five year period called "muke". Thus 12 year cycles of alternating uke and muke (u and mu are u/yu/aru (arimasu) "have" and mu "lack", while ke is a divination sign.)
As to how one figured one's "element" type, it was determined by the year of one's birth. By the Chinese calendar system, each year had not only a zodiac sign, but one of 10 stems, made of pairs of the five elements (elder/younger wood, fire, earth, metal and water). You could see this "typing" with "uke" years as parallel to the Western astrology/"sign" system, but by year rather than month of birth.
The specific dates on these prints vary by type, but follow a general pattern, with metal types celebrating in the second month, earth in the sixth month, wood in the eight month, fire in the eleventh (and probably water in the fourth month, but I couldn't find a water type uke-e). These were apparently the days to celebrate one's entrance into one's "uke" years.
One celebrated the uke entry with seven items starting with the sound "fu" (for good luck). In place of actual items, the uke-e prints all have seven fu items depicted. Looking at yours again, I can add "fude" (brush), "bunchin" (paperweight), "fumi" (letter or writing), and Fukusuke (the figure, a historical man with a disfigurement (note the large head) who came to symbolize good fortune) to fugu, fue and fusa.
You might also notice that Fukusuke is a moji-e (letter picture) composed, of course, of the letter "fu"! There are also treasure symbols of the shichi-fukujin (7 Gods of Fortune) on the background.
I can't get the middle part of the inscription above (sometimes it helps to sleep on it!) but in part this reads:
"Fue fuku to
Shichi 'fu' atsumeshi
Fukusuke no
Kishou mo sa[shi?][so?]
fuku no fudeburi"
("When the flute blows
We gather seven 'fu'
And even Fukusuke
Of the "wood type"
Uses a lucky brush style")
Anyway, this is my kind of print! Thanks for the good excuse to look into uke-e more closely.
P.S. By the way, I might note that another uke-e for the "wood type" in 1861 has exactly the same ages as this print (1, 2, 9, 10, 23, 24, 31, 32, 39, 40, 53, 54, 61, 62, 69, 70, 83, 84, 91, 92, 100) plus an additional 113 and 114 for the truly long lived!!