Utagawa Kunisada II (Toyokuni IV). Nakamura Shikan IV as Chūbei and Iwai Shijaku II as Umegawa / Preparatory drawing for a fan print, late 1860s to early 70s

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada II [歌川国貞] Japanese, 1823 – 1880) a.k.a. Toyokuni IV

Signature: Kunisada hitsu (国國筆)

Media: Ink and colour on ‘india’ paper, backed by thicker wove paper, 240 × 253 mm

Date: Second half of the 1860s to early 1870s

Preparatory drawing for a fan print.

Female actor: Iwai Shijaku II (岩井紫若) as Umegawa (梅川)

Male actor: Nakamura Shikan IV (中村芝翫) as Chūbei (忠兵衛)

This is a preparatory design (shita-e) for a colour uchiwa-e, capturing the emotional climax of the lovers’ doomed journey. A pair of actors stand before a floral backdrop of oversized chrysanthemums. The male figure, barefoot and wearing a travelling outfit, holds the woman’s hand protectively as they move together — evoking a flight or elopement scene. The woman wears a long-sleeved kimono and leans slightly toward him in distress or resignation. Light washes of grey and muted red highlight the figures.

The roles of Chūbei and Umegawa are most famously associated with the kabuki adaptation of the bunraku classic Meido no Hikyaku (冥途の飛脚, “The Courier from Hell”), written in 1711 by Chikamatsu Monzaemon [近松 門左衛門], real name Sugimori Nobumori [杉森 信盛] (Japanese, 1653 –1725). In kabuki, the most common title is Hikyaku Yamato Oroshi (飛脚大和下し). Sometimes, it is also staged under various localized titles or scene adaptations.

Plot context: The tragic lovers Chūbei, a money courier, and Umegawa, a courtesan, flee together after Chūbei embezzles funds to ransom her. The story ends in despair and death, one of the most poignant examples of sewamono (domestic drama) in the kabuki repertoire.