Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII as Kinugawa Tanizō in the play Meiboku Sendai Hagi, Utagawa Kuniyoshi

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Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII as Kinugawa Tanizō in the play Meiboku Sendai Hagi
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII as Kinugawa Tanizō in the play Meiboku Sendai Hagi
Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII as Kinugawa Tanizō in the play Meiboku Sendai Hagi
circa 1849–1853, Edo period (1600–1868)
1797–1861
Actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII as Kinugawa Tanizō in the play Meiboku Sendai Hagi, circa 1849–1853, Edo period (1600–1868)
Where object was made: Japan
Material/technique: color woodcut
Dimensions:
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 372.7 x 254 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 14 11/16 x 10 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in
Credit line: Gift of H. Lee Turner
Accession number: 1968.0001.050
Not on display
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Archive Label 2003: The figure depicted here plays the part of the hero Kinugawa Tanizō in the kabuki play Date Kurabe Okuni Kabuki. The actor, Danjūrō VIII, stands on the Kabuki stage bearing a sword with his arm upraised about to strike. This play is actually a subplot of the larger play, “The Disputed Succession” (Meiboku Sendai Hagi), which is depicted in the print by Kunisada. Kuniyoshi, like Kunisada, also studied with Utagawa Toyokuni. The two artists were competitors. When Kunisada laid claim to and assumed the name Toyokuni after the death of his master, Kuniyoshi stopped using the Toshidama seal of the Utagawa School and adopted the red paulownia seal seen here in the lower left corner. Kuniyoshi’s actors are in the style of the Utagawa School with elongated faces and pointy chins. Although the present print is a restrained example of Kuniyoshi’s work, Kuniyoshi tended to exaggerate facial expressions and dramatic poses and he often depicted a very elaborate background rather than the simple stage setting seen here.