Utagawa Toyokuni I. Ichikawa Danjūrō VII, Bandō Mitsugorō III, and Onoe Kikugorō III in 'The Maiden at Dōjō Temple' Performance / Ōban, 1816

Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I (歌川豊国, 1769–1825)
Signed: Toyokuni ga (豊国画)
Publisher: Mikawaya Seiemon (三河屋清右衛門), active c. 1805–1829. Marks 16-011 | 328
Censor’s seal: kiwame
Media: Vertical ōban (大判), woodblock print (nishiki-e, 錦絵); ink and colour on paper, 368 × 258 mm
Note: No date seal; performance unknown

Actors and Roles:

• Bandō Mitsugorō III (坂東三津五郎, 1775–1831) → Role: Hanako (花子), a shirabyōshi dancer (白拍子), in reality, the vengeful spirit of Kiyohime (清姫)
• Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (市川團十郎, 1791–1859) → Role: Priest 1 (有縁坊, Uenbō), seated on the right, holding a kiseru (pipe)
• Onoe Kikugorō III (尾上菊五郎, 1784–1849) → Role: Priest 2 (無縁坊, Muenbō), seated on the left, miming a fox

A scene from the kabuki dance drama Kyōganoko Musume Dōjōji (京鹿子娘道成寺, “The Maiden at Dōjō Temple”), performed at Nakamura-za in 1816 (Bunka 13). The shirabyōshi dancer Hanako appears at the centre under cherry blossoms and a suspended temple bell. She wears an ornate kimono and tall eboshi cap, striking a poised stance central to the dance's climax. Hanako is, in fact, the disguised ghost of Kiyohime, a woman consumed by unrequited love for the monk Anchin.

Seated below her are two comic priest figures — Uenbō, on the right (Danjūrō), holding a pipe, and Muenbō, on the left (Kikugorō), gesturing with fingers miming a fox. Both have folding fans tucked comically into their collars. Their humorous appearance contrasts with the seriousness of their mistake: by allowing Hanako into the temple, they have set the stage for tragedy.

Detailed discussion on the topic can be seen at The Maiden at Dōjō Temple