Description:
vertical ōban; nishiki-e; yakusha-e
Label Text:
This print is signed "Ichiyōsai Toyokuni ga" ('drawn by Ichiyōsai Toyokuni') at lower-right, a name used by the artist from 1844–1861. The signature is accompanied by a red toshidama artist's seal. To the immediate right of the signature are the double nanushi seals of the official censors. The practice of double-sealing with name seals was mandatory from late 1846 until early 1852. The upper of the two seals reads "Kinugusa," and represents Kinugusa Fusajirō, while the lower, which reads "Hama," is that of Hama Yahei. The confluence of these two seals, along with the premiere of the kabuki play from which the subject is taken, have been used to date this print. This kabuki play made its premiere in the 8th lunar month of 1848. suggesting that this print was approved by the censors in the tenth lunar month of that year; however, the seventh lunar month is also possible as Hama and Kinugusa sealed together during both periods.
The seal of the publisher — the character "kyū" beneath interlocking sickles — is visible at lower middle-left and represents Yamamotoya Heikichi of the firm Eikyūdō.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2005.336 |
