Supplementary Tales of Momoyama: The Story of the Elephant and the Peach Tree

Toyohara Kunichika

A scene from the Kabuki play "Supplementary Tales of Momoyama," referring to a series of plays that depicted the unification of Japan in the Azuchi-Momyama period. This scene is titled "The Elephant and the Peach Tree," and additional titling, referring to the second prologue, includes "A Letter from the Samurai." It features the kabuki actors Onoe Kikugoro as the oft-depicted samurai Teranishi Kankomi, and Yaeume Kunitaro as the courtesan Miura-ya Komurasaki. This is a shikake-e style print, popular in the Edo and Meiji periods. Shikake-e is loosely defined as a paneled or multi-image print with added flaps that are pulled back to reveal more of the story (a Western version of this is the traditional Christmas advent calendar). For instance, the flaps were often illustrated on the outside as doors, curtains, or painted screens that opened to reveal a hidden character or situation. This technique was often employed as a ruse to hide scandalous shunga imagery.

At first look, this two-panel image shows a courtesan and samurai in mild flirtation. Both are dressed in formal attire and the samurai is lightly playing with the fabric of the courtesan's obi as she smiles coyly from behind her sleeve. Open the hidden portion of this image, however, and it reveals the samurai's partially undressed torso, as he pulls the courtesan's obi toward him in eager invitation.