Description:
Osaka print; kamigata-e; ōban; yakusha-e; nishiki-e
Label Text:
At top-right the text identifies the actor Arashi Rikan II and the role of Danshichi Kurobei, a well-known 'otokodate' (a gallant male) character from the popular kabuki play "The Summer Festival: A Mirror of Osaka," an adaptation of the true story of the fishmonger Danshichi who, through a series of unfortunate events, is forced to commit patricide in order to free a kidnapped courtesan. The final scene of the play is renowned for its depictions of the sword fight and was often performed in dramatic slow-motion. Though the kabuki play is set in the summertime, the incident originally took place in the winter. Arashi Rikan II was a favored subject of many Osaka-school ukiyo-e artists, especially Shunbaisai Hokuei, who is presumed to have been Hokkai's teacher.
The print is signed at lower-right "Tōhōnan Hokusei," a name used by Hokkai, who also signed prints "Hokusei Shushisai Hokkai ga" ('drawn by Hokusei Shushisai Hokkai ga'). Below the signature is the artist's seal in red, which has not yet been successfully deciphered. To the left of the seal is the mark of an as-yet unidentified publisher, known in reference materials as simply Fujita, who worked in Osaka in the 1830s and is known to have published many actor prints, notably by Sadanobu.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2005.267 |
