12 months ukiyo

The Ukiyo Junikagetsu or 12 Months of Ukiyo published in 1890 is sometimes said to be the first complete print series that Gekko produced. The series was published by Yokoyama Ryōhachi. Gekko's earliest book illustrations are from 1883 and his first prints are dated 1884 so you would wonder why it took another 6 years to have his first series completed. The date oriented reader will also note that the Zuihitsu set was commenced in 1886 and quite possibly completed within a year or two, so the Junikagetsu 1890 publication story should be taken as a suggestion rather than a fact at this stage. The prints are listed in month order January through December

jan

January.

A street performer carrying a model of a kabuki theatre and selling kabuki prints

feb

February.

The tree "Oushukubai" (The Plum tree of the Bush Warbler's nest), the Emperor and the owner of the tree.

mar

March. A lady with a poem card.

april

April

Ohta Dokan, Lord of Edo Castle, was hunting at Takada. A sudden rain shower started. He went to a village house nearby to borrow a straw raincoat. The girl of the house presented him only a branch of Japanese globe flowers without saying anything. Later, he was told that the flower suggested an old poem which meant that she did not have a straw raincoat. Dokan shamed that he did not know the poem, started learning the old waka poems (source for text Artelino)

May

The poet Ariwara-no-Narihira & his attendants admiring Mt. Fuji on a fine day (Artelino)

june

June

Taketori Monogatari, (The Tale of Bamboo Cutter) showing Kaguya-hime, princess from the moon, and the bamboo cutter Taketori no Okina. He finds the mysterious princess as a tiny baby in a bamboo shoot. Thought to be the earliest extent Japanese narrative.

july