Iwai Kumesaburo II as Katsuragi, by Kunisada

An image of Iwai Kumesaburô II as Katsuragi. Kunisada, Utagawa (Japanese, 1786-1865). Surimono. Colour print from woodblocks with metallic pigment and blind embossing (karazuri). Shikishiban, central sheet of triptych. Signed: Gototei Kunisada ga. Poet: Ryûôtei Edo no Hananari. Woodcut, circa 1830. Ukiyo-e. Notes: A courtesan stands beneath a night flowering cherry in Nakano street in Yoshiwara, the licensed district in Edo. She is about to intervene between the two men who are fighting over their love for her in the famous ‘Scabbards clashing’ (Saya-ate) scene. The rivals appear in the two missing sheets from this triptych: Ichikawa Danjûrô VII as Fuwa Banzaemon (left) and Onoe Kikugorô III as Nagoya Sanza (right). The poem praises Katsuragi’s beauty by combining references to two famous Chinese and Japanese beauties from the past, Yang Kuei-fei and Ono no Komachi. There is a pun on the word Karayamatoya (‘China-Japan house’) because it incorporates ‘Yamatoya’, which was the actor Kumesaburô’s yagô (‘shop name’), the nick-name shouted out by fans to encourage him during a performance. The actor’s fan-butterfly (ôgi-chô) crest (mon) forms part of the design of the hairpins. The iris pattern on the robe was also associated with Kumesaburô. The elaborate pattern of the fabric also includes water-wheels, gabions and stakes.

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Iwai Kumesaburô II as Katsuragi. Kunisada, Utagawa (Japanese, 1786-1865). Surimono. Colour print from woodblocks with metallic pigment and blind embossing (karazuri). Shikishiban, central sheet of triptych. Signed: Gototei Kunisada ga. Poet: Ryûôtei Edo no Hananari. Woodcut, circa 1830. Ukiyo-e. Notes: A courtesan stands beneath a night flowering cherry in Nakano street in Yoshiwara, the licensed district in Edo. She is about to intervene between the two men who are fighting over their love for her in the famous ‘Scabbards clashing’ (Saya-ate) scene. The rivals appear in the two missing sheets from this triptych: Ichikawa Danjûrô VII as Fuwa Banzaemon (left) and Onoe Kikugorô III as Nagoya Sanza (right). The poem praises Katsuragi’s beauty by combining references to two famous Chinese and Japanese beauties from the past, Yang Kuei-fei and Ono no Komachi. There is a pun on the word Karayamatoya (‘China-Japan house’) because it incorporates ‘Yamatoya’, which was the actor Kumesaburô’s yagô (‘shop name’), the nick-name shouted out by fans to encourage him during a performance. The actor’s fan-butterfly (ôgi-chô) crest (mon) forms part of the design of the hairpins. The iris pattern on the robe was also associated with Kumesaburô. The elaborate pattern of the fabric also includes water-wheels, gabions and stakes.

Image data

Accession Number: P.490-1937
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Photographer name: Image Library; Fitzwilliam Museum
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 903 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.0 (Windows)
Filesize: 1.23MB

Key words

19th Century acting actor beauty blossom cherry blossom cherry tree clothes clothing colour printing costume courtesan Edo Period embossed fashion fashionable Fitz_PDP footware geisha geta hair hairstyle Iridaceae iris Irises Japan Japanese kanzashi hairpin karazuri kimono Kunisada print robes Shikishiban shoes surimono tabi theatre theatrical traditional traditional dress trees triptych ukiyo-e Utagawa Kunisada woodblock woodcut Yoshiwara

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024)
            "Iwai Kumesaburo II as Katsuragi, by Kunisada"
            Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-218597 Accessed: 2024-11-16 03:46:38

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