ODOKE BANASHI おどけばなし.

Nine examples, in 16 pamphlets, of odoke banashi, including five by Jippensha Ikku 十返舎一九.

Full-page woodcut on first page of each. Two or three leaves for each pamphlet. Small 4to, self-bound. All Osaka: see below, mid- to late Edo.

Odoke banashi is a genre of humorous or satirical literature, employing puns, culturally coded jokes, and wordplay, and issued in inexpensive, ephemeral pamphlets of a few leaves. They helped to shape traditional comedic storytelling forms such as rakugo.

Jippensha Ikku (1765–1831) was an extremely successful comic writer and illustrator who wrote in a variety of genres, including gesaku fiction, kibyōshi, sharebon, kokkeibon, odoke banashi, and numerous others.

Due to their ephemeral nature, odoke banashi are extremely rare, and this is an exceptional opportunity. None of these are found in WorldCat.

Jippensha:

1. Meshi taiheiki ō kassen 飯太平記大合戦. 2 vols. Publisher: Honyasu 本安 [本屋安兵衛];

2. Mochi sake ō Kassen [&] Sake mochi ō kassen 餅酒大合戦 [&] 酒餅大合戦. 2 vols. Publisher: 本安;

3. Imaori Taiheiki gofuku gassen 今織太平記呉服合戦. 2 vols. Publisher: Honya Yasubei 本屋安兵衛;

4. Taiheiki mushi gassen 太平記虫合戦. One vol. Publisher: 本安;

5. Mushi gassen kedamono tori no sukedachi 虫合戦獣鳥の助太刀. One vol. Publisher: 本安.

Donryūken 吞龍軒:

6. Noriya daijin seitoku taishi Sentaku ō gassen 糊屋大臣晴徳太子洗濯大合戦. 2 vols. Publisher: 本屋安兵衛.

Katsura Bunji & Tatsuta Dobin 桂文治 & 立田土瓶:

7. Taiheki kōshoku gassen [&] Taiheki kōshoku gonichi gassen 太開好色合戦 [&] 太開好色後日合戦. 2 vols. Publisher: Wataya kihei わた屋喜兵衛. This is an erotic work;

Two anonymous works:

8. Setai hēki garakuta Kassen 世帯平記雑具合戦. 2 vols. Publisher: 本安;

9. Zashiki kata daidokoro kata Dōgu taiheiki 座敷方台所方道具太平記. 2 vols. Publisher: unknown. Lacking one leaf in the first volume.

Each of these odoke banashi has a full-page woodcut on the first page, revealing the comedic story within, and with the author, titles, and publishers’ names. The artist of the first three pamphlets is Utagawa Nagahide (fl. 1811-37). The woodblocks of the text have been cut in a special script, shibai moji.

In fine condition.