Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III). Bandō Shūka I as Oshun and Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII as Izutsuya Denbei in kabuki play "Sarumawashi Kadode no Hitofushi" / Fan print, 1850.

Color woodblock print for a rigid fan (uchiwa-e), 210 × 282 mm.

Figures. Two half-length figures against a dark blue-to-green gradated background, evoking a night scene.

Left: Bandō Shūka I (坂東しうか) as the geiko Oshun (芸子おしゆん, written in red rectangular cartouche next to her), in a striped kimono with floral-patterned collar; elaborate hairstyle with large decorative hairpins (kanzashi, 簪) with mokkō (木瓜) ornaments and a tortoise shell comb; a scroll (掛軸, kakejiku) tucked into her obi — the hawk painting central to the play's plot.

Right: Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII (市川團十郎) as Izutsuya Denbei (井筒屋伝兵衛, written in red rectangular cartouche next to him), in a striped kimono with a white neck towel (手拭, tenugui); hair in topknot with blue shaved scalp; hilt of a sword visible at his side.

Inscriptions. Right: artist's signature Toyokuni ga (豊國画) within a red toshidama cartouche. Double nanushi censor seals: Hama Yahei (濱弥兵衛) and Magome Kangeyū (馬込勘解由), used together between the first month of 1849 and the second month of 1852 (嘉永2年1月–嘉永5年2月), partially trimmed off. Publisher's mark 十 (jū) for Kojimaya Jūbei (小島屋重兵衛). No date seal. Inscription in the upper left panel in cursive script, content unread.

Identification. The actors' names are not inscribed on the print, but the roles and actors have been identified by Horst Graebner as corresponding to a performance of the play Sarumawashi Kadode no Hitofushi (猿曳門出諷) at the Nakamura theatre (中村座), Edo, in the fifth month of Kaei 3 (嘉永3年5月, 1850), in which Bandō Shūka I and Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII appeared together in these roles. The title of the play may be translated in English as "A Verse on the Monkey Trainer's Departure".