| Method | Woodblock (nishiki-e) |
| Artist | Kunichika Toyoharu (1835-1900) |
| Published | 1883 |
| Dimensions | Ôban tate-e triptych [Each sheet ~15.6 x 10.7 inches] |
| Notes |
Artist signature: Kunichika Toyohara Publisher: Arai Kisaburo A kabuki scene showing the characters from the play Koi no Minato Hakata no Hitofushi also known as Kezori. The scene shows six figures across the triptych, creating a classic Kabuki image. The play tells the story of Kezori, the central villain who is a smuggler. The story is based on real life events which occurred in the early 18th century concerning a series of smugglers raids on passenger boats. In the story the smuggler Kezori disguises himself as a passenger on a sailing headed for the Port of Hakata, when at the dead of night his fellow smugglers appear on a small boat and raid the vessel. The smugglers are eventually captured and executed by the authorities. The original version was a puppet play by the playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon, first staged in 1718, and it was later adapted for the kabuki stage. Kunichika Toyohara (1835–1900) born Arakawa Yasohachi, was talented as a child and at about thirteen he became a student of Tokyo's then-leading print maker, Utagawa Kunisada. His deep appreciation and knowledge of kabuki drama led to his production primarily of ukiyo-e actor-prints, woodblock prints of kabuki actors and scenes from popular plays of the time. An alcoholic and womanizer, Kunichika also portrayed beautiful women (bijin-ga), contemporary social life, and a few landscapes and historical scenes. He worked successfully in the Edo period, and carried those traditions into the Meiji period. To his contemporaries and now to some modern art historians, this has been seen as a significant achievement during a transitional period of great social and political change in Japan's history. Condition: Some loss to right edges of sheets. Some minor creasing to sheets. |
| Framing | framed |
| Price | £600.00 |
| Stock ID | 53063 |