Very good impression, and very good colors.

Signed yoshu Chikanobu hitsu on the upper margin.

Colored ink on paper; oban triptych.

Chikanobu provided illustrations for a number of board games and playing cards. These 3 sheets with 27 portraits of kabuki actors were probably published between 1882 when Nakamura Sennosuke (1860-1926) took the stage name Sawamura Tosshi VII and 1886 when Suketakaya Takasuke IV (1838-1886) died. On each sheet are 3 rows of 3 actors, each trio being from a single play.

Panel One (rightmost panel) top: Kan U (Guan Yu)
Right: Nakamura Shikan IV (1831-1899) as Kan U
Center: Ichikawa Danjuro IX (1838-1903) as Ryubi
Left: Onoe Kikugoro V (1844-1903) as Chohi

Panel One middle: Seki no to (The Barrier)
R: Sawamura Tosshi VII (1860-1926) as Yoshimine Munesada
C: Onoe Kikugoro V (1844-1903) as Sumizome
L: Ichikawa Gonjuro (1848-1904) as Otome no Kuronushi

Panel One bottom: Kanjincho (Subscription List)
R: Ichikawa Sandanji I (1842-1904) as Togachi Saemon
C: Ichikawa Danjuro IX (1838-1903) as Benkei Musashi-bo
L: Suketakaya Takasuke IV (1838-1886) as Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Panel Two (center panel) top: Sukeroku yukari no Edo zakura
R: Nakamura Shikan IV (1831-1899) as Ikyu
C: Ichikawa Danjuro IX (1838-1903) as Sukeroku
L: Suketakaya Takasuke IV (1838-1886) as Agemaki

Panel Two middle: Yoshitsune senbon zakura
R: Kataoka Gado (1851-1895) as Yoshitsune
C: Onoe Taminosuke (1866-1927) as Shizuka
L: Onoe Kikugoro V (1844-1903) as Tadanobu

Panel Two bottom: Ehon Taikoki
R: Ichikawa Kuzo III (1836-1911) as Akechi Mitsuhide
C: Bando Kakitsu I (1847-1893) as Akechi Mitsuyoshi
L: Nakamura Fukusuke III (1868-1907) as Hatsugikuiku

Panel Three (leftmost panel) top: Nagoya Sanza
R: Ichikawa Danjuro IX (1838-1903) as Denkichi
C: Onoe Taminosuke (1866-1927) as Katsuragi
L: Suketakaya Takasuke IV (1838-1886) as Nagoya Sanza

Panel Three middle: Kokusenya kassen (Battles of Coxinga)
R: Nakamura Fukusuke III (1868-1907) as Kinshojo
C: Nakamura Shikan IV (1831-1899) as Watonai
L: Nakamura Tokizo I (1849-1919) as Kanki

Panel Three bottom: Kinkaku-ji no ba (Golden Pavilion Scene)
R: Ichikawa Kodanji V (1850-1922) as Kanonosuke Naonobu
C: Nakamura Shikan IV (1831-1899) as Daizen
L: Suketakaya Takasuke IV (1838-1886) as Yukihime

For more information, please refer to the Chikanobu exhibition catalogue.

Purchased by Bruce Coats from Artelino, Germany, in October 2004, using Aoki funds.

No publisher indicated.

This object has the following keywords:

• 1891-1912
• Actors and Actresses
• Festivals and Games
• Ichikawa Danjuro IX
• Ichikawa Sadanji I
• Kabuki
• Nakamura Shikan IV
• Onoe Kikugoro (Baiko) V
• Suketakaya Takasuke IV

This object is a member of the following portfolios: