The scene depicts a moment from the play Ume sakura aioi zōshi (梅桜松双紙), with Chiyo, Matsubei, and Umeroku confronting an unseen opponent. The three figures are positioned against a backdrop of rushing water and a large waterwheel, indicating a setting near a river. Chiyo, at the front, wears a brown kimono with pine needle motifs, a black obi, and red underlayers visible at the sleeves and hem. Her hair is arranged formally, and her arms are extended forward. Matsubei and Umeroku, standing behind her, wear checkered (plaid) kimonos in brown and beige tones with black borders, tied with wide yellow sashes. Matsubei wears a haori (羽織). Both men hold long wooden oars crossed in an X-shape.

Toyokuni depicts the same actors in the same performance in a series of ōban-size prints (images from Waseda University Cultural Resources Database)

Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I [初代豊国] (Japanese, 1769–1825)

Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国画]

Publisher: Kojimaya Jūbei [小嶋屋重兵衛] (Japanese, c. 1797–1869); seal [十]; Marks 06-014 | 264a

Date-Aratame Seal: 1822 (Bunsei 5, 文政五年)

Media: Print (Uchiwa-e, うちわ絵, fan print); 223 × 250 mm

Actor: Onoe Kikugorō III [三代目 尾上菊五郎] (Japanese, 1784–1849); other names: Onoe Baikō III (尾上梅幸), Ōkawa Hashizō I (大川橋蔵初代), Onoe Matsusuke II (二代目尾上松助), Onoe Eizaburō I (初代尾上栄三郎)

Half-length, three-quarter-view portrait of Onoe Kikugorō III, depicted without stage makeup. The actor wears a kimono patterned with plum blossoms (梅, ume), symbolising perseverance and longevity. A neck scarf with a 格子 (kōshi) pattern is visible, and he holds a folding fan (扇, ōgi) decorated with chrysanthemums (菊, kiku).

Above his head is the Onoe family crest (mon), embracing oak leaves on layered fans. This emblem, known as the crest of the Otowaya line, commemorates a shogunal gift of rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves, placed on a fan, and presented to Onoe Kikugorō I.

The background features a radiating red-line pattern, possibly representing the bamboo structure of an uchiwa fan. The absence of kumadori (歌舞伎隈取, kabuki makeup) suggests that the actor is not portrayed in a specific role.

In 1822, Onoe Kikugorō III performed at Kawarazaki-za before month 11 and at Ichimura-za and Nakamura-za afterwards.

The print has been backed for preservation with a sheet of paper featuring calligraphy, likely contemporary to the print itself. The backing paper appears to have been repurposed, a common historical practice in the Edo period, where discarded documents or manuscripts were reused to reinforce delicate prints.

Kunisada portrayed the same actor in 1815 as Rokusaburō, the Carpenter (Daiku Rokusaburō).

Sebastian Izzard Asian Art

This uchiwa-e (団扇絵) depicts Iwai Kumesaburō II (岩井粂三郎) as Nyōbō Osono (女房おその), the wife of Amakawaya Gihei (天川屋義平), in Act 10 of Kanadehon Chūshingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵). Osono is shown in a half-length portrait, three-quarter view, turned to her left. Behind her, an arrow (矢, ya) has pierced a target (的, mato) in the bullseye. In her hand, she holds a severed lock of her own hair. She wears a green-spotted kimono patterned with white plum blossoms (梅, ume), with a red under-kimono featuring a blue lattice-decorated collar (襟, eri). Her hair is adorned with a gilt comb (櫛, kushi) and hairpins (簪, kanzashi).

In Act 10, Gihei (義平), recognizing that the rōnin’s attack on Moronao is imminent, sends Osono (おその) back to her parents, an act equivalent to divorcing her. Since a divorced woman would typically be remarried by her family, Ōboshi Yuranosuke (大星由良之助) orders Ōwashi Bungo (大鷲文吾) to cut her hair, ensuring that this does not happen, leaving her unmarriageable and still tied to her husband during their separation. "Once we finish our business of killing the enemy, you can celebrate your reunion," said Ōboshi Yuranosuke.

A red slip of paper (短冊, tanzaku) with the actor’s name and role is placed near the upper right.