Background
Kondo (see ref below * ) identifies this play as a version of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's Nebiki no kadomatsu, (The Uprooted Pine 寿の門松) first performed with puppets in Osaka's Takemoto Theater in 1718. [The full title for Chikamatsu's play is known to be Yamazaki Yojibei and the uprooted pine.] In the earlier drama, Naniwaya Yohei was the only son, now impoverished, of a rich oil dealer, who falls madly in love with the famous courtesan Azuma. She is touched by his sincere feelings, but is already in love with Yamazaka Yojibei, and so cannot return his affections. She gives him 10 gold coins, whereupon Yohei pledges to become rich using the money as capital, and swearing brotherly friendship with Yojibei. In the end, Yohei returns from Edo to Osaka and pays his debt to Azuma, with Yojibei's consent. In the scene shown here, Yohei watches Azuma before the Fuji brothel as she walks accompanied by her younger attendants — none of them are included in the composition.
Design
In Hokuei’s design, Yohei, an itinerant oil vender, stands with two stacks of oil containers fastened to a carrying pole, each vessel filled with different grades of vegetable oil for lamps. He wears a brown apron to protect his clothing from splashing oil when pouring measured amounts for his customers. As the object of his desire, Azuma, walks by with her attendants. Yohei is so besotted that he drops his pipe (kiseru), shown here in mid-descent.
This print, published only three months before Hokuei's death, is in fine condition with the best preserved red colorant known to us for this design. In our experience, there are very few surviving impressions, and none with better colors. For instance, the published catalogues for the two largest collections in Japan, Ikeda Bunko Library and Waseda University, do not include impressions of this design.
Note: The signature "Sekkarô" is a late art name used only seven times by Hokuei between 1/1836 and 8/1836. Here, he uses the ka character 華, one of two instances; otherwise, the "Sekkarô" signatures use 花 for ka (thus 雪花楼北英), five times in all.
References: KNP-6, p. 325; IKB-I, no. 2-446; NKE, p. 464; MFA Boston #11.35202; * Kondo, Eiko, Protagonisti del Palcoscenico di Osaka. Bologna 2001, p. 212; Fiorillo, Hokuei: Master of Osaka Kabuki Prints, 2024, catalogue raisonné, no. 259.
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