Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I [初代豊国] (Japanese, 1769–1825)

Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国画].

Publisher: Iseya Sōemon [伊勢屋惣右衛門] (c. 1776 – November 1862); Marks 02-041 | 156a

Date-Aratame Seal: 1819 (Bunsei 2, 文政二年)

Media: Print (Yakusha-e, 役者絵); 221 × 253 mm

Play: Ume Yanagi Wakaba no Kagazome (梅柳若葉加賀染)

Theater: Tamagawa-za (玉川座), Edo, May 1819

Role: Kurenaiya Okan (紅屋おかん)

Actor: Segawa Kikunojō V [瀬川菊之丞] (Japanese, 1802–1832); Other name: Segawa Tamon I (瀬川多聞初代)

Bust-length, three-quarter-view portrait of Segawa Kikunojō V as Kurenaiya Okan in the play Ume Yanagi Wakaba no Kagazome, staged at Tamagawa-za in May 1819. The male actor Segawa Kikunojō V performs an onnagata role, portraying a courtesan. She is depicted adjusting her elaborate shimadamage-style coiffure, fixing a kanzashi (簪, hairpin) while holding onkotogami (御懲紙, tissue paper) in her mouth. The onkotogami was traditionally used for intimate hygiene, suggesting that the scene represents a moment after encountering a client.

Her inner kimono is safflower-dyed and has a hemp leaf pattern (麻の葉, asa no ha). The top half of the background features a giant golden carp (鯉, koi), a recurring motif in this pair of prints often associated with strength, perseverance, and kabuki’s aragoto style.

This print forms a pair with the portrait of Ichikawa Danjūrō VII as Yushima no Sankichi [SVJP-0439.2025], but no conclusive information is available regarding the relationship between their characters. The carp also alludes to Boys’ Day (Tango no Sekku, 端午の節句), celebrated on May 5th each year.