The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon Kakitsu as Taira Taro Yoshikado

Artist Utagawa Kunisada I 歌川国貞 (Toyokuni III 三代豊国) (Japanese, 1786–1864)

Datesecond month, 1863

Mediummulticolor woodblock print with shell particles

Dimensionsplate: 26.9 cm (10 9/16 in.)
oban: 34 × 23.6 cm (13 3/8 × 9 5/16 in.)
sheet: 36.4 cm (14 5/16 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineStoddard Acquistion Fund

Terms

Object number2000.25

Label Text2003-04-03: Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786-1865) The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon Kakitsu as Taira Taro Yoshikado 1863, second month Woodblock print; ink and color on paper; vertical oban Stoddard Acquisition Fund, 2000.25 This print is a portrait of the Kabuki actor Ichimura Uzaemon Kakitsu IV (later Onoe Kikugoro V, 1844-1903), striking a pose in the role of the handsome Yoshikado, the son of Taira Masakado. It is an exquisite impression, showing the wood grain texture of the printing block, subtle shading and mica flakes. Several legends and Kabuki plays dealt with Yoshikado's continued struggle against government-appointed warriors sent to kill him. The young man, a skilled archer, and his sister Takiyasha are believed to have lived as magicians and brigands in the ruins of the abandoned Soma castle. Their sole companions were the ghosts of Masakado's murdered warriors. Notes:Samurai SpiritProvenanceIsrael Goldman

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