寒菊に水仙 [from folio]
kankiku ni suisen
Winter Chrysanthemum and Narcissus
カンキクにスイセン
Edition I (only edition): | 楽山篁子生 | Raku-zan Kou-shi-sei | + Seal C | >
[For illustration of seals listed by seal code letter, see the Seals article.]
Series History and Definitions:Rakusan arranged the Fan Series prints into shared-subject groups typically consisting of one design in each of five different fan silhouette shapes. Each of these groups of Fan Series designs are united by a corresponding polychrome 36 Series design which defines the subject. Each shared-subject Fan Series group and its 36 Series design together comprise a theme (画題, gadai).
Rakusan did not include the Fan Series in his main sequence numbering. Therefore, the original number used for each of the 36 Series prints has been modified to identify the Fan Series members of its theme. The five different fan silhouette shapes have been here assigned arbitrary numbers 1 through 5. To indicate a fan design these shape designations are added to the 36 Series number separated by a hyphen. In themes which contain duplicated fan shapes, one has been arbitrarily designated A and the other B. 118-5 indicates that this is a Fan Series design with fan shape 5 in the 118 Winter Chrysanthemum and Narcissus theme. Like all other designs in this series, 118-5 was only produced in a single print run, and few copies are currently documented.
Theme History:The resultant 118 Winter Chrysanthemum and Narcissus theme is one of the many entirely regular themes represented by a complete fan quintet and a color woodblock print. The Fan Series designs of the 118 Winter Chrysanthemum and Narcissus theme were printed during September 1934 and were distributed September 15, 1934 as installment six (of twelve). On the delivery documents Rakusan used the theme subject title 寒菊に水仙, kankiku ni suisen, 'winter chrysanthemum and narcissus', which is actually the original title of 36 Series design 118 published at the same time.
All of the designs in this theme (including the 36 Series design 118) have seal C which indicates they were carved during the first half of 1934.
Since the 118 Winter Chrysanthemum and Narcissus theme has a compound subject, both thematic elements appear in its 36 Series design 118. However, the individual Fan Series designs may have both, or one, or the other. Here only narcissus are in 118-1, 118-2, and 118-4; only chrysanthemum (with grass and a wagtail) in 118-3; and both narcissus and chrysanthemum in 118-5 and 118. (The grass and the wagtail in 118-3 are the sole non-thematic embellishments in this theme.)
Description:The woodblock print of 118-5 was modeled closely on an actual-size original sumi sketch which although lost can be reconstructed by digitally reversing the image of the woodblock print. The composition places chrysanthemums with flowers and buds behind a single blooming narcissus. The plants all lean to the right and the narcissus is nearly horizontal:
![]() 118-5 as originally drawn (reconstruction) |
Paperwhite Narcissus, Narcissus tazetta var. chinensis, 日本水仙, にほんすいせん, ニホンズイセン, nihon-suisen, lit. 'Japanese narcissus', is a bulb often used for forcing winter blooms indoors.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
118-1 | 118-2 | 118-3 | 118-4 | 118 |
![]() | ![]() | 38alt | 38 |