No. 1: Shishiko
from the series Kaiko yashinai gusa
「蚕養草 一 獅子蚕」
Signature
驥齋樵夫筆
Kisai Shōfū? hitsu
Inset Text
「絹笠明神」
Kinugasa myōjin
Colophon
馬喰町三丁目 壱番地 画工兼 出板人 佐藤新太郎 ・ 御届 明治十三年二月廿三日
Bakurochō Sanchōme 1-banchi / Gakōken shuppanjin Satō Shintarō / Ontodoke Meiji jūsannen nigatsu nijū sannichi
Commentary
The title of the print, "Shishiko" refers to the first of four dormant periods or "sleeps" in the life-cycle of the silkworm. (source: Vanessa Tothill, "Yosan-e and The Aesthetics of Post-Tenpo Reforms Era Sericulture Prints", Art Research v. 18)
Dimensions
Vertical ōban;
24.5 × 36.7 cm
(9.6 × 14.5 in)
Related Items
MAK KI 14404-3 [A Yoshiiku print illustrating the same stage in silkworm cultivation, featuring a quite similar composition]
http://www.jaodb.com/db/ItemDetail.asp?item=40936
[Prints from a Fusatane series featuring identical title-slip and patron deity motifs]
WUL 文庫30 B0271 [Another related design by Fusatane]