Jump to main content
/

Santo Kyoden

An outstanding popular-fiction author of the late Edo period who created such genres as yellow-cover books, gay-quarter novelettes, and Edo-period reading books 1761-1816

Santo Kyoden was a late Edo period ukiyo-e artist and author of yellow-cover books, gokan (longer picture books), gay-quarter novelettes, and Edo-period reading books (as opposed to books with lots of illustrations). He was born on the 15th of the Eighth Month of 1761 in Fukagawa Kiba, Edo. His original name was Iwase Samuro, and he was commonly called Kyoya Denzo. His artistic name, Santo Kyoden, means the Den Storehouse where he lived in Kyohashi Ginza 1-chome, east of Mount Momiji. Other artistic names that he used include Santoan, Kikutei Shujin, Seisai, Seisei Rojin, and as a composer of comic tanka, Migaru no Orisuke.

 

When he was about 14 or 15, he began studying under the ukiyo-e artist Kitao Shigemasa. For his work as a ukiyo-e artist, he adopted the name Kitao Masanobu. Yet at the same time he also wrote comic tanka poetry under the name Santo Kyoden.

 

His first yellow-cover book Gozonji no shobaimono (Tricks of the Trade, 1782) attracted much attention, and his second work in this genre, Edo umare uwaki no kabayaki (Edo-Born Playboy, Basted and Grilled, 1785), a big hit, established him as a writer of yellow-cover books. With Tsugen Somagaki (Becoming Familiar with the Ways of the Somagaki [a high-class brothel of the new Yoshiwara]) and Keiseikai shijuhatte (Forty-Eight Ways To Buy a Courtesan), he also tried his hand at gay-quarter novelettes, and he became one of the most famous popular writers of the Tenmei (1781-1789) and Kansei (1789-1801) eras.

 

Under the Kansei reforms he got into trouble and was punished for his gay-quarter novelettes Shikake bunko (A Geisha’s Wardrobe Chest), Nishiki no ura (Behind the Brocade), and Shogi kinuburui (Courtesans' Silken Sleeves), so he gave up writing gay-quarter novelettes. Thereafter, he devoted himself mainly to Edo-period reading books such as Chushin suiko den (Loyal Retainers of the Marsh) and Sakurahime zenden akebonozoshi (Dawn Book of the Whole Life of Princess Sakura) while also turning out historical studies such as Kinsei kiseki ko (A Study of Modern Marvels) and Kotto shu (Curios) in interludes.

 

Kyoden's abilities as a painter were also top notch. For example, there is his colored picture book Shin bijin awase jihitsu kagami (New Beauties of Yoshiwara in the Mirror of Their Own Script).

 

He died in 1816 and is buried in the temple Honjo Eko-in, in Ryogoku, Tokyo. The gokan author Santo Kyosan was his younger brother.

Related People, Things and Events

Books

Depictions of Santo Kyoden in paintings

Santo Kyoden’s work as painter Kitao Masanobu

Shikakebon (books containing shikake-e or pictures which used various devices in order to introduce variety into the image) by Santo Kyoden

「仕掛本」は、江戸時代の小説本などに見られる特殊な造本で、挿絵の上にもう一枚の挿絵をかぶせ、上の挿絵をめくると下から別の絵が現れるなどの工夫をこらしたもの。文化6年(1809)刊の山東京伝作・歌川豊国画の読本『本朝酔菩提』は、そのさきがけとなる作品で、第一巻の冒頭口絵に「臭皮袋図」という名の美人画が配され、これをめくると下から骸骨の図が出現する趣向で、ひとたび死んでしまえば、誰も同じ骸骨となる、という教訓を表現している。

画面中央にほっそりとした美人が描かれ、左右には一休の漢詩と道歌(「骨かくす皮にはたれも迷ひけり美人といふも皮のわざなり」)が書かれている。
美人図をめくると下から骸骨の絵が出現する。骸骨の横には「皮にこそをとこをんなのへだてあれ骨にはかはる人かたもなし 一休」とある。

Manuscript of the kibyoushi illustrated book Sakusha tainai totsuki (“Ten Months Inside an Author’s Womb”)

国会図書館が所蔵する山東京伝の黄表紙『作者胎内十月』の作者自筆草稿。版面の構成をスケッチし、貼紙や朱筆で訂正や注記を加えている。草双紙の趣向を思いついてから完成までの創作の苦労を、妊娠から出産までの10か月に見立て、茶化した作品だが、掲出は、10か月になっても一向に趣向の浮かばない戯作者(京伝)が、「一寸先は闇陀如来(阿弥陀如来)」にせきたてられて、かつて赤本時代に使った、「金平」「見越入道」「薄雪姫」「鉢かづき」などの助けを借りようとする場面。青色の枠の部分をクリックすると、草稿のラフのスケッチと刊本の対比を見ることができる。

Related Works

Videos

Institutions Holding Related Materials

  • The National Diet Library (NDL), founded in 1948, is the library which belongs to the Diet. The NDL assists the activities of the National Diet. The Library collects and conserves materials and information both from Japan and abroad, serving as a foundation of knowledge and culture and providing library services to administrative and judicial entities and Japanese citizens.

  • 1973(昭和48)年に、都立日比谷図書館の蔵書を引き継いでこの地に開館。蔵書数は国内の公立図書館では最大級の200万冊以上。特に、特別文庫室の加賀文庫・特別買上文庫には、山東京伝の黄表紙・洒落本・読本などを所蔵する。

  • 1882年に東京専門学校が図書室を設置して以来の長い歴史を持ち、国内の大学のなかでも有数の蔵書数を誇る図書館。山東京伝の黄表紙・洒落本・合巻などを所蔵する。

  • 松竹株式会社の創業者の一人・故大谷竹次郎(1877~1969)が昭和30年(1955)に文化勲章を受章したのを記念して、昭和31年(1956)に設立した、演劇と映画の専門図書館。京伝作の歌舞伎や演劇作品の台本が閲覧できる。

  • 山東京伝の没後に弟の京山が経てた机塚の碑。東京都台東区浅草寺の境内にある。

  • 墨田区両国の回向院の境内にある。

External Links

References

  1. 棚橋正博 著,ぺりかん社
  2. 神保五弥, 杉浦日向子 [著],新潮社
  3. 中野三敏 著,弓立社
  4. 水野稔 著,ぺりかん社
  5. 岡本勝, 雲英末雄 編,おうふう
  6. 国立国会図書館 編著,出版ニュース社
  7. 「山東京伝」の項。
  8. 「山東京伝」の項。