Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786–1865)
Signed: 五渡亭国貞画 (Gototei Kunisada ga)
Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1820–1850)
Date: 1825 — date aratame seal: 酉改 – Year of the Rooster, Bunsei 8
Media: Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e (団扇絵), color woodblock print, 230 x 270 mm
Play: Sono uwasa sakura no irodoki (其噂桜色時), Nakamura-za, 3/1825
Actors and Roles:
Onoe Kikugorō III [尾上菊五郎] (Japanese, 1784 – 1849); other names: Ōkawa Hashizō I, Onoe Baikō III, Onoe Matsusuke II, Onoe Eizaburō I.
Role: Denbei (伝兵へ)
Iwai Kumesaburō II [岩井粂三郎] (Japanese, 1799 – 1836); other names: Iwai Hanshirō VI, Iwai Hisajirō I; poetry names Baiga, Shūka.
Role: Oshun (おしゆん)
A dramatic encounter between Denbei and Oshun, set beneath a blooming cherry tree. The background features a fenced garden and a veranda, suggesting a domestic setting with a sliding fusuma (襖) screen on the right.
Denbei, dressed in a blue striped kimono adorned with cherry blossoms and chrysanthemums, sits on the floor (tatami?), gripping a length of cloth, the other end of which is held by Oshun. Oshun, wearing a plaid kimono (格子, kōshi pattern) with butterflies and a red and black obi featuring gold cloud brocade, leans forward with an assertive gesture, pulling at the cloth Denbei holds. Her hairstyle is highly ornamented with combs and pins.
Additional Information
| Collection | Fan print (Uchiwa-e) [団扇絵] , Japanese prints and drawings |
|---|---|
| Type / Purpose | Fan , Woodblock print |
| Country | Japan |
| Period | 19 AD , Bunsei era [文政] (1818–1830) , Edo period [江戸時代] (1603–1868) , Mid-19th century |
| Media/Technique | Ink and color on paper , Woodblock print (nishiki-e) |
| Subject | 19th century , Actor print , Actors , Denbei [伝兵へ] , Fan print , Kabuki actors , Oshun [おしゆん] , Sono Uwasa Sakura no Irodoki [其噂桜色時] , Theatre , Uchiwa-e |
| Creation / Publishing year | 1825 , Bunsei 8 |
| Signature | Gototei Kunisada ga [五渡亭国貞画] |
| Size | Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e , Fan print. Uchiwa-e |
| Genre | Actor Prints (Yakusha-e, 役者絵) |
| Acquisition year | 2023 |