Description:
surimono; nishiki-e
Label Text:
Shibaraku, literally “Wait a Moment!,” is one of the “Eighteen Great Plays” of kabuki theater. In an amusing variation, Sakuragawa’s portrayal of the characters as bats in flight lends the scene a sense of movement, liveliness, and humor. The play, written and first performed by Ichikawa Danjūrō I in 1692, is named for the repeated and pivotal line “Wait a moment!,” which marks a change in the situation from evil to good. In this scene, the evil daimyō Kiyohara Takehira and the powerful warrior Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa face off in a flashy confrontation. Takehira holds the stolen official seals out of the warrior’s reach, while Gongorō, who sports the three concentric squares of the Ichikawa crest, challenges him. Sakuragawa, also an accomplished poet, has placed the bats in an ema, a kind of votive plaque used in New Year’s celebrations.
- BB, ed., 2015
The bat in red is identiifiable as of the Ichikawa Danjūrō line of actors based on the crest markings of his robe and his identification with shibaraku scenes. The bat in blue is most likely Ichikawa Raizō III, a student of Danjūrō VII, beginning in 1821, whose crest is similar to the floral pattern on his robe. Before becoming Danjūrō VII's student, he held the names of Nakayama Tatezō II and Ichikawa Omezō II; he is most commonly known by the latter. Based on style and the career of Sakuragawa Jihinari, this print seems to date to roughly the 1820s. As such, it is possible it was made in celebration of Danjūrō VII's adoption of Raizō III as his student. The adoption of new names by actors was itself a common impetus for the commissioning of surimono by actor fan clubs. This print is also made to appear as a votive plaque, or "ema," the likes of which are traditionally hung outside of temple's on New Year's Day. The poem at top appears to describe Danjūrō, a parental relationship, and twin moons. - BB, 2014
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2005.73 |
