ふな [title from print]
funa
Crucian Carp
フナ
Edition I (only edition): | [no signature] | Seal R |
[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. 135-1 is the Fan Series design with fan shape 1 in the 135 Fish theme. Like all other designs in this series, 135-1 was only produced in a single print run, and few copies are currently documented. All of the Fan Series prints were originally distributed tipped into recessed wells of presentation sheets with the overall project title, 篁子生画選, Koushisei Gasen, embossed in their lower margins.
Theme History:The Fan Series prints of the 135 Fish theme were distributed in mid 1935 in installment twelve (of twelve). The series as originally announced would have seen this last installment published in December 1934. However, with documented delays the earliest month it could actually have been delivered is May 1935, and it may well have been even further delayed. Each of the woodblock prints in this theme would have been printed in the same month as their distribution.
Although the delivery documents for installment twelve remain to be discovered, the delivery documents for installment ten from March 25, 1935 announced the fish designs as what would be expected to be theme 131 to appear the following month, April 1935, as part of installment eleven. However, all three of the announced themes for installment eleven were actually delayed and not published until installment twelve. After this rearrangement the Fish theme ended up being published as theme 135.
In the delivery documents for installment ten, Rakusan called this theme 魚類, gyo-rui, 'fish, fishes' Including 類, rui, kind; sort; type; class; genus; order; family', implies a general or generic meaning. The theme title also was intended as the title of 36 Series design 135. The Fan Series designs of the 135 Fish theme are unique in that each has a title naming the illustrated species which is incorporated into the composition. All of the named fish are found in fresh water and are commonly eaten. Several are commercially farmed.
Description:
The woodblock print of 135-1 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:
![]() 135-1 as originally drawn (reconstruction) |
135-1 includes an unidentified, wide-leafed water plant which is known only from this design.
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135-1 | 135-3 | 135-4 | 135-5 | 135 |
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29 | 125-1 |