Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) / Toyokuni III (三代豊国) (1786–1865)
Signed: 七十九歳豊国画 (Nanajūkyū-sai Toyokuni ga) – "Drawn by Toyokuni at the age of 79"
Publisher: Unknown: 和泉屋 (Izumiya), active 1845–1870, Marks 02-053 | U101a
Block Carver: Matsushima Daijirō (松嶋大次郎), active 1861–1865; seal: 松嶋彫大 (Matsushima hori-Dai)
Censor/Date Seal: 丑極 – Year of the Ox (1865, Keiō 1), with 極 (Kiwame) approval seal
Media: Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e (団扇絵), color woodblock print, 218 × 270 mm
Series: Mitate Sangokushi [見立三國志]
Actor: Ichimura Kakitsu IV [市村家橘] (Japanese, 1844 – 1903); other names: Onoe Kikugorō V [五代目尾上菊五郎], Onoe Baikō V, Ichimura Uzaemon XIII, Ichimura Kurōemon.
A half-length portrait, three-quarter view of the actor Ichimura Kakitsu IV in a female role. The character wears a richly decorated purple kimono adorned with mandarin orange flowers, maple, ginkgo, and oak leaves and holds a sake cup in her right hand. Under her left arm, we see a roll of hygienic paper (onkotogami, 御髪紙)—a detail that, combined with her hair decoration, suggests a geisha profession. The background features a gradient transitioning from red to green, with cherry blossoms framing the upper portion of the composition. Dishes with food are visible on the left.
The cartouches indicate that this print belongs to the Mitate Sangokushi (見立三國志, Parody of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms) series, suggesting a kabuki-related or literary allusion. The three lines of inscription in the white cartouche remain unread.
This print was produced posthumously. Kunisada passed away on January 12, 1865, according to the Western calendar. In the Japanese calendar, this corresponds to the 15th day of the 12th month in the year Genji 1. This date still falls within the Year of the Rat, which, according to the Western calendar, lasted until January 26, 1865. The Year of the Ox and the first year of the Keiō era (Keiō 1) began on January 27, 1865.
Additional Information
| Collection | Fan print (Uchiwa-e) [団扇絵] , Japanese prints and drawings |
|---|---|
| Type / Purpose | Fan , Woodblock print |
| Period | 19 AD , Edo period [江戸時代] (1603–1868) , Keiō era [慶応] (1865–1868) , Mid-19th century |
| Country | Japan |
| Media/Technique | Ink and color on paper , Woodblock print (nishiki-e) |
| Size | Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e , Fan print. Uchiwa-e |
| Subject | 19th century , Actor print , Cherry Blossom (sakura) , Fan , Fan print , Japanese woodblock prints , Kabuki , Kabuki actor , Kabuki actors , Mitate , Uchiwa-e |
| School | Utagawa (歌川) |
| Series | Mitate Sangokushi [見立三國志] |
| Creation / Publishing year | 1865 |
| Genre | Actor Prints (Yakusha-e, 役者絵) |
| Acquisition year | 2023 |
