"25" in pencil on verso, lower right. Title on mat (differs slightly) in pencil. Label with title on verso of mat. Signed: Toyokuni ga. Censor's seal: Kiwame.

Colored ink on paper; diptych (2 panels fused together). Woodblock print.

Edo period Japanese color woodblock diptych with an image of actors in a play. This scene is thought to depict the Lady Kaoya when she is informed of her husband's death by the wicked court councilor for etiquette Moronao. Because women were banned by the government from appearing on the kabuki stage, men played the parts of women. Sawamura Tanosuke was famous for his female roles (onnagata), particularly those of elegant aristocratic ladies. Matsumoto Koshiro frequently played a villain in kabuki melodramas. The artist Toyokuni has presented the actors as if on stage, with props and backdrops. Prints like these were popular among theatergoers, sold as single sheets or in pairs.

"The actors Sawamura Tanosuke II (1788-1817) as the noble Lady Kaoya and Matsumoto Koshiro V (1764-1838), as the nefarious court counselor Moronao, are depicted when Moronao informs Lady Kaoya of her husband’s death. Her beauty, confidence and slightly sensual pose contrasts with Moronao’s befuddled expression and short stature enveloped by his robes. Toyokuni’s portrayal of Moronao is very different than that of other artists, such as Hiroshige, who depicted him as a handsome man."
(LD, student in 2010 seminar ARHI154 Japanese Prints)

Eikyudo (Yamamotoya Heikichi).

This object has the following keywords:

• 1801-1820
• Actors and Actresses
• Kabuki
• Plays and Theatre

This object is a member of the following portfolios: