I. Three Heads Are Better Than One / The Lantern and the Temple Bell
II. Always Remember Your Duty and Your Underwear
One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu) - Plate 16
One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu) - Plate 16
I. This print pairs two proverbs.
The first, “Three heads are better than one” (San nin yoreba Monju no chie), praises collective wisdom—three companions, playing drum, flute, and fan, symbolize harmony through cooperation.
The second, “The lantern and the temple bell” (Chōchin ni tsurigane), warns against comparing things that only seem alike: Kyosai shows a man absurdly balancing a paper lantern and a heavy bell.
Together, the scenes contrast unity born of shared insight with the folly of forcing equivalence where none exists.
II. The print illustrates the proverb “Never forget your duty and your underwear.” Kyosai shows a man hurriedly dressing while attendants and family bustle around him. The message is humorous yet moral: just as one should never leave home without undergarments, one must never neglect loyalty and propriety. With characteristic wit, Kyosai fuses the trivial and the virtuous, mocking human haste and reminding that dignity begins with the unseen fundamentals.
Kawanabe Kyōsai
Woodblock print, ca. 1863–1866
From the series: One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu)
Format: small-format sheet (koban-ban), first edition
Publisher: Wakasaya Yoichi (若狭屋与市)
Dimensions: approx. 2 * 13 × 18 cm
Medium: polychrome woodblock print (nishiki-e) on handmade washi paper
Edition & Printing Details
This sheet belongs to the first edition of Kyōsai Hyakuzu, published between 1863–1866. As with many prints in this series, it was issued without signature or seal.
Note
This description is part of an evolving research project. Very few collections of this kind exist worldwide, and each newly studied sheet refines our understanding of the series. The catalogue will be continuously updated and expanded — leaving room for fresh interpretations, new connections, and unexpected discoveries that keep the collection alive and intriguing.
The first, “Three heads are better than one” (San nin yoreba Monju no chie), praises collective wisdom—three companions, playing drum, flute, and fan, symbolize harmony through cooperation.
The second, “The lantern and the temple bell” (Chōchin ni tsurigane), warns against comparing things that only seem alike: Kyosai shows a man absurdly balancing a paper lantern and a heavy bell.
Together, the scenes contrast unity born of shared insight with the folly of forcing equivalence where none exists.
II. The print illustrates the proverb “Never forget your duty and your underwear.” Kyosai shows a man hurriedly dressing while attendants and family bustle around him. The message is humorous yet moral: just as one should never leave home without undergarments, one must never neglect loyalty and propriety. With characteristic wit, Kyosai fuses the trivial and the virtuous, mocking human haste and reminding that dignity begins with the unseen fundamentals.
Kawanabe Kyōsai
Woodblock print, ca. 1863–1866
From the series: One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu)
Format: small-format sheet (koban-ban), first edition
Publisher: Wakasaya Yoichi (若狭屋与市)
Dimensions: approx. 2 * 13 × 18 cm
Medium: polychrome woodblock print (nishiki-e) on handmade washi paper
Edition & Printing Details
This sheet belongs to the first edition of Kyōsai Hyakuzu, published between 1863–1866. As with many prints in this series, it was issued without signature or seal.
Note
This description is part of an evolving research project. Very few collections of this kind exist worldwide, and each newly studied sheet refines our understanding of the series. The catalogue will be continuously updated and expanded — leaving room for fresh interpretations, new connections, and unexpected discoveries that keep the collection alive and intriguing.