Shinpan kumiage toro yuya shinmise no zu

[John Wagenseil]

Shinpan kumiage toro yuya shinmise no zu (A Set of Five Cut-out Pictures of a Newly Rebuilt Bathhouse)
Oban, woodblock 5 pieces/25.1 x 37.7cm each
ca. 1807-1812

asian_art: Hokusai: Set of five Cut-Out Pictures of a Newly Rebuilt Bathhouse

The model subject is somewhat similar to the previously posted "Boite Secret de Nevers". There are several tiny cut outs that if peered at closely are NSFW.

Quoted from the web site:
This set of five pictures of a bathhouse is of the type generally known as kumiage-e (in the Kansai area, tatebanko), designed to be cut out then folded and pasted together in accordance with the picture of the completed work so as to make a three-dimensional model. Such kumiage-e were a notoriously difficult genre for the average ukiyo-e artist, so much so that there were artists who specialized in it. The need for the artist to calculate as he painted the exact size for each section so that it would fit into the completed model, and the question of how to make the completed model, into a convincingly three-dimensional structure, posed a challenge to both the artist's technical ability and the accuracy of his work. Hokusai was considered a master in this field as elsewhere, the completed works made from his pictures achieving a splendidly calculated effect of three-dimensionality that far outstrips pieces by other artists. Here, for example, as the pictures of the made up work show, the design of the interior is calculated to create an effect of deep perspective, while the same clever calculation has also gone into the street outside the building. The work is valuable and interesting for the light it throws on life in Edo. However, as with the other cut-out pictures, extremely few examples are extant; presumably the rest were used for the purpose for which they were intended. Moreover, since only a complete and unused set makes it possible to construct the model, any set such as this that survives complete is extremely valuable.

The set is believed to have been published around 1810; all other similar works known to survive also date from around the same period. (Seiji Nagata: Hokusai. Genius of the Japanese Ukiyo-e. Tokyo / New York / London: Kadansha International, 1995.)

Unfortunately the pages are faded (not surprising since the original is 200 years old) but perhaps one of our restoration artists might consider restoring this ancient model to its original splendor. This model really deserves the effort, it is an amazing creation by one of Japan's foremost artists.

[John Wagenseil]

I used Paint.net to perform a couple of basic image manipulations, to get a significant improvement in the appearance of the model.

[John Wagenseil]

I just finished studying the model. I don't think it is complete. There is only one blue roof piece, there should be two, one for back and one for front. It appears that there is a missing page. I apologize, another tatebanko that has survived in incomplete form. Some one does have the complete set since the picture of the assembled tatebanko has back and front roofs.

[Pat_craft]

I have seen this one before. Unfortunatly the scans are very bad, not enought contrast, small resolution, parts are fuzzy... And if you think it is incomplete... :-(

[Tapcho]

It is not incomplete. The other picture presents the bathhouse with out the frontispiece so it's not a view from the backside of the house. One roof piece is therefore sufficient. I try to work the quality of the prints little better and maybe build it. Thanks John for the find (and all your other finds as well). :-)

Tappi

[gwssms]

Originally Posted by Tapcho

It is not incomplete. The other picture presents the bathhouse with out the frontispiece so it's not a view from the backside of the house. One roof piece is therefore sufficient. I try to work the quality of the prints little better and maybe build it. Thanks John for the find (and all your other finds as well). :-)

Tappi

In other words it's a one sided forced-perspective model. There is no backside, correct? It's too bad that the person that scanned the originals blurred out one edge of a page and nearly cut off another.

[Tapcho]

Originally Posted by gwssms

In other words it's a one sided forced-perspective model. There is no backside, correct?

That's my interpretation of the pics and parts. Haven't tried it yet though.

Tappi

[John Wagenseil]

Originally Posted by Tapcho

It is not incomplete. The other picture presents the bathhouse with out the frontispiece so it's not a view from the backside of the house. One roof piece is therefore sufficient. I try to work the quality of the prints little better and maybe build it. Thanks John for the find (and all your other finds as well). :-)

Tappi

@ Tappcho

You are correct, I was wrong.
I thought this tatebanko had a back and front side. Actually, it is one sided with a removable front wall, to show the baths in back.
I took a closer look at the roof in both pictures and it is the same roof, and the back part of the upper room is the same.
Hokusai was really clever, by giving the diorama viewer interaction and having two different scenes from one viewpoint. A lot of tatebanko seem to have moving features built into them.

@ Patcraft "I have seen this one before. Unfortunatly the scans are very bad, not enought contrast, small resolution, parts are fuzzy"

I was initially put off by the seemingly poor quality of the images, but I ran a page through Irfanview and Paintnet. I sharpened the image and corrected the contrast and got a reasonably decent looking image that I think represents the bright colors of the original.
I posted an example of a quick and messy repair of one sheet as a PDF.
I am not skilled at image manipulation. Col. Davenport has shown what a skilled restorer can do with vintage prints, so I know that much better results can be obtained than what I was able to do.
There is blurring on the edge of one page, but I don't think this would be fatal, it probably would not be noticed on the final build unless the viewer looked really closely, or someone with some artistic ability could redraw the blurred areas.

I think this tatebanko and the Boite Secret de Nevers would make a interesting paired display.
The Japanese used discarded woodblock prints as packing for their exports to Europe. They had a huge influence on European artists, particularly in France. There was a time when the "packing" was more sought after than what it was wrapped around.
It is possible that the artist who drew up the Boite de Nevers was directly or indirectly influenced by Japanese prints.

[Vermin_King]

I had heard before that some of these were wrapping paper. Hadn't heard that discards were used for packing. I learn something new all the time.

[papermodelfan]

This model is featured in the book: "Hokusai: Genius of the Japanese Ukiyo-e", by Seiji Nagata (published by Kodansha in 1995). Pages 24 and 25 show the five sheets, as well as details and pictures of the finished model. The front detaches so that you can see the full interior. The original prints are in the Katsushika Hokusai Museum of Art (I think the author is curator there). The text says "The need for the artist to calculate as he painted the exact size of each section so that it would fit into the completed model, and the question of how to make the completed model into a convincingly three-dimensional structure, posed a challenge to both the artist's technical ability and the accuracy of his work. Hokusai was considered a master in this field as elsewhere, the completed works made from his pictures achieving a splendidly calculated effect of three-dimensionality that far outstrips pieces by other artists. Here, for example, as the pictures of the made-up work show,the design of the interior is calculated to create an effect of deep perspective, while the same clever calculation has also gone into the street outside the building. (...) The set is believed to have been published around 1810."