Buddhist texts describe a tenko drum that makes divine music. In the play, an official in the court of the Chinese Emperor (seated in the foreground) relates how such a drum appeared in a dream to a woman when she conceived her son. The baby boy was named “Tenko,” and when a drum magically appeared, he could make celestial sounds. The Emperor demanded the drum for himself, but Tenko refused to give it up and was consequently killed. The drum then became mute, so the Emperor had the boy’s father brought to court to play it (the scene shown here). The old man mourns his lost son, and then beats the drum, which makes a wonderful sound that testifies to the deep love of father and son. Later in the play, the spirit of Tenko appears and dances joyfully.
See: Restless Spirits from Japanese Noh Plays of the Fourth Group ed. C. Shimazaki, pp. 153-183.

Dr. Bruce Coats, Professor of Art History and the Humanities, Scripps College


There is always something a famous artist is inseparably associated with. For Kogyo it is the Noh Theater. He made quite a few attractive natural prints and a few designs of the Russo-Japanese war. But his series of old traditional Japanese Noh theater are the prints that stick with him forever. They were published by Matsuki Heikichi. The major works of Kogyo are: • Nogaku zue - One Hundred Noh Pictures (1897-1902) • Nogaku hyakuban - One Hundred Noh Dramas (1922-1926) Noh theater is a more refined form of theater, in contrast to Kabuki, the popular Japanese theater of the common people. The stage decorations in Noh theater are few. They’ve been reduced to a minimum. The main visual attraction for the spectators are the lavish, colorful costumes. Kogyo prints are perfect reflections of the typical Noh theater. The compositions show an actor or a group of actors against a plain background, occasionally with one or two props. A typical print by the artist looks more like an ink drawing, painting or watercolor than a classical ukiyo print. The style of Kogyo was influenced by his second master Ogata Gekko, who had begun as a commercial designer, illustrator and painter. The production of a Gekko or Kogyo design required very skillful engravers and printers. From: Artelino.com Other Sources of Information: Helen Merritt and Nanako Yamada, "Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975", published by University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, ISBN 0-8248-1732-X Helen Merritt, "Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints - The early years", published by University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 1990, ISBN 0-8248-1200-X

This object has the following keywords:

• Noh
• Taisho Period

This object is a member of the following portfolios: