Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786–1865)
Signature: Faint and partially illegible; reads Gototei Kunisada ga [五渡亭国貞画].
Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1820–1850); "san" (三) in circle — Marks 08–067 | 127b
Date-Aratame Seal: tiger/approved (寅改, tora/aratame), Bunsei 13 – Tenpō 1 (1830) or, less likely, Bunka 15 / Bunsei 1 (1818)
Media: Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e (団扇絵), colour woodblock print, 225 × 255 mm
Actor: 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: Sayoginu Oshichi [小夜ぎぬお七]
Description: A female figure is shown ascending the wooden framework of a fire lookout tower (hinomi-yagura, 火の見櫓), gripping the beams with her hands. She wears a green striped outer kimono loosely draped over a patterned red under-robe, the garments flowing downward with the movement of her body. A dagger is held between her teeth. Her head is turned slightly to the left, toward a small bird in flight. The tower structure, rendered as an open lattice of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal beams, dominates the composition and establishes a strong geometric framework against the pale ground. According to Kunisada.de, Onoe Kikugorō III performed the role of Sayoginu Oshichi in the play Ume no haru gojūsan tsugi (梅初春五十三駅) at the Ichimura-za in the second month of 1835; this performance postdates the present print and therefore does not correspond to it.
[With the help of Horst Graebner]
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 , Tenpō era [天保] (1830–1844) |
| Media/Technique | Ink and color on paper , Woodblock print (nishiki-e) |
| Size | Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e , Fan print. Uchiwa-e |
| Genre | Actor Prints (Yakusha-e, 役者絵) |
| Subject | 19th century , Actor print , Actors , Fan print , Festival , Japanese woodblock prints , Kabuki actors , Theatre , Uchiwa-e |
| School | Utagawa (歌川) |
| Signature | Gototei Kunisada ga [五渡亭国貞画] |
| Creation / Publishing year | 1830 , Bunsei 13 , Tenpō 1 |
| Acquisition year | 2025 |
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