Actor triptychs

1847, Part IV

Actors: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Hatakeyama Jiro Shigetada (畠山二郎重忠, left), Onoe Kikujirô II as Kagekiyo tsuma Akoya (あこや, center), and Onoe Tamizô II as Iwanaga Saemon Soren (岩永左衛門宗連, right)

Play: Dan no Ura kabuto Gunki

Date: 8^th month of 1847

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Chû (phonetic reading of 忠)

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image and information.

Actors: Left sheet: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Chichibu Shoji Shigetada (秩父重忠)

Right sheet: Onoe Tamizô II as Iwanaga Saemon Munetsura (岩永左衛門) and Onoe Kikujirô II as Akoya (あこや)

Play: Dan no Ura kabuto Gunki (壇浦兜軍記)

Date: 8^th month of 1847 (censors Mera and Murata)

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô

NOTE: This diptych is from the series Select Series of Book Titles. I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

Actors: Left sheet: Actor as Tarohachi and Onoe Kikujirô II as Ôtaka

Right sheet: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Kaminari Shokuro (雷庄九郎) and Nakayama Genjûrô as Sunahara Michio (砂原道庵)

Play: Gonin otokoikiji no hana kurabe (五人男侠花姿競)

Date: 8^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

Actors: Left sheet: Onoe Kikujirô II as Ôtaka (おたか)

Right sheet: Bandô Takesaburô I as the good child (豆太) and Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Kaminari Shokuro (雷庄九郎)

Play: Gonin otokoikiji no hana kurabe (五人男侠花姿競)

Date: 8^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Minato-ya Kohei

Title: Five Braveries of the Day (Tosei gonin otoko, 當盛五人男)

Actors: Left sheet: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Kaminari Shôkurô (雷庄五郎) and Iwai Kumesaburô III as Karigane Bunshichi (雁金文七)

Right sheet: Bandô Hikosaburô IV as Gokuin Senemon (極印千右衛門), Seki Sanjûrô III as An no Heibei (安平兵衛), and Onoe Tamizô II as Hotei Ichiemon (布袋市右衛門)

Play: Gonin otokoikiji no hana kurabe (五人男侠花姿競)

Date: 8^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Jôshû-ya Kinzô

NOTE: The woodblocks for this diptych were reused, with some alterations, for the production of Koigoromo karigane-zome in the 1^st month of 1852.

Title: The Five Otokodate Assembled (Otokodate Gonin Soroi, 男達五人揃)

Actors: Left sheet: Bandô Hikosaburô IV as Gokuin Senemon (極印千右衛門) and Onoe Tamizô II as Hotei Ichiemon (布袋市右衛門)

Center sheet: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Kaminari Shôkurô (雷庄五郎)

Right sheet: Seki Sanjûrô III as An no Heibei (安平兵衛) and Iwai Kumesaburô III as Karigane Bunshichi (雁金文七)

Play: Gonin otokoikiji no hana kurabe (五人男侠花姿競)

Date: 8^th month of 1847 (censors Kinugasa and Hama)

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Minato-ya Kohei

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate state.

Sheets from additional states of the above triptych

Diptych title: Shinsaku tsukutsukuken

Dance interlude: Tabi suzume miyoshi no irodoki (Romance of the Traveling Sparrow Miyoshi, 旅雀三芳秋)

Description: Actors Ichikawa Kuzô II (left) and Nakamura Utaemon IV (right) playing ken

Date: 9^th month of 1847

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei

Diptych title: Beauty Contest of the Things that Belong Together (Irokurabe Tsukumono ken)

Dance interlude: Tabi suzume miyoshi no irodoki (Romance of the Traveling Sparrow Miyoshi, 旅雀三芳秋)

Description: Actors Ichikawa Kuzô II as the talking bird seller (hanashidoriuri, はなし鳥うり, left) and Nakamura Utaemon IV as a priest of Kasuga (the Grand Shrine) (Kasuga no negi, 春日の祢宜, right) playing ken

Date: 9^th month of 1847

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Kawaguchi-ya Uhei

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate state with this text: ひつつくけん ついたは／＼ひつたりひた／＼つくものは何／＼とのさんにおやりついのはさみ箱太夫に三味線とてつる天狗に牛若ヤ トヲ／＼まいつた／＼やとゝんとん

Diptych title: Tsukumono-ken hitori geiko

Dance interlude: Tabi suzume miyoshi no irodoki (Romance of the Traveling Sparrow Miyoshi, 旅雀三芳秋)

Description: Actors Ichikawa Kuzô II (left) and Nakamura Utaemon IV (right) playing ken

Date: 9^th month of 1847

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Kita-ya Magobei

NOTE: The small figures illustrate the dance steps.

Diptych title: Tsukumono-ken

Dance interlude: Tabi suzume miyoshi no irodoki (Romance of the Traveling Sparrow Miyoshi, 旅雀三芳秋)

Description: Actors Ichikawa Kuzô II (left), Nakamura Utaemon IV (right), and Onoe Baikô IV (in female role) playing ken

Date: 9^th month of 1847

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô

Dance interlude: Tabi suzume miyoshi no irodoki (Romance of the Traveling Sparrow Miyoshi, 旅雀三芳秋)

Description: Actors Nakamura Utaemon IV (left) and Ichikawa Kuzô II (right) playing ken

Date: 9^th month of 1847

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke

Title of triptych: Parallels of the Three Shrines (Mitate San Sha, 㸔立三社)

Dance interlude: Tabi suzume miyoshi no irodoki (Romance of the Traveling Sparrow Miyoshi, 旅雀三芳秋)

Actors: Nakamura Utaemon IV as a priest of Kasuga (the Grand Shrine) (Kasuga no negi, 春日の祢ぎ, left), Onoe Baikô IV as the bird catcher (torisashi, 鳥さし, center), and Ichikawa Kuzô II as a talking bird seller (hanashidoriuri, はなし鳥うり, right)

Date: 9^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Wakasen (若仙)

Text: Right sheet: けん 付いたは／＼びつたりひた／＼つくものは何に／＼とのさんに

Left sheet: おさへてかさねて, きつねでサアきなせ, 古るいぞ／＼ 見だされた

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image and information.

Actors: Left sheet: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Taira Tomomori (平友盛)

Center sheet: Matsumoto Kinshô I as Sagami Gorô (相模五郎)

Right sheet: Onoe Baiko IV as Suke no tsubone (すけの局) and the child actor Otojirô as Antoku Tenno (安徳てんほう)

Play: Yoshitsune senbon zakura (義経千本桜, Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Date: 9^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu an Yoshimura)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Ku (phonetic reading of ク)

Actors: Left sheet: Matsumoto Kinshô I as Igami no Gonta (いがみのごん太)

Center sheet: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Kajiwara Kagetoki (梶原景時)

Right sheet: Ôtani Tomoemon IV as Yazaemon (弥左衛門) and Onoe Baiko IV as the girl (musume) Osato (娘おさと)

Play: Yoshitsune senbon zakura (義経千本桜, Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Date: 9^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Ichi

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

Actors: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Kajiwara Kagetoki (梶原景時)

Play: Yoshitsune senbon zakura (義経千本桜, Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Date: 9^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Takaji

Note: The reading of the role in the damaged cartouche must be considered tentative. I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

Actors: Left sheet: Matsumoto Kinshô I as Sagami Gorô (相模五郎) and Onoe Baiko IV as Suke no tsubone (すけの局)

Right sheet: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Tokaiya Ginpei (渡海屋銀平)

Play: Yoshitsune senbon zakura (義経千本桜, Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Date: 9^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei

Text: Right sheet: 相模灘などにはさらに驚かす軍慮も沖を越た渡海屋 梅屋

Left sheet: 星の屋 松と梅ふた木にまさる色はなし千もとの桜多き中にも

Actors: Matsumoto Kinshô I as Sagami Gorô and Nakamura Utaemon IV as Tadanobu

Play: Yoshitsune senbon zakura (義経千本桜, Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Date: 9^th month of 1847 (censors Mera and Murata)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Ôta-ya Takichi

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

Actors: Onoe Baikô IV as Shizuka Gozen (しづか御ぜん, left) and Nakamura Utaemon IV as Kitsune (fox) Tadanobu (狐忠信, right)

Play: Yoshitsune senbon zakura (義経千本桜, Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Date: 9^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Wakasa-ya Uhei

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

I am grateful to Marc DeVriese and Robert Pryor for these images from other states of the diptych. Note that the silhoouette is purple on the sheet on the right.

Actors: Left sheet: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Taira Tomomori (新中納言知盛) and Matsumoto Kinshô I as Sagami Gorô (相模五郎, inset)

Right sheet: Ichikawa Kuzô II as Yoshitsune (義経, inset), unidentified child actor as Emperor Antoku (安徳天皇), and Onoe Baiko IV as Suke no Tsubone (すけの局)

Play: Yoshitsune senbon zakura (義経千本桜, Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Date: 9^th month of 1847

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô

NOTE: This diptych is from the series Select Series of Book Titles

Actors: Left sheet: Matsumoto Kinshô I as Igami no Gonta (いがみの権太)

Right sheet: Onoe Baiko IV as Osato, the sushi shop daughter (sushiya musume Osato, すしや娘おさと) and Nakamura Utaemon IV as Kajiwara Kagetoki (梶原景時, inset)

Play: Yoshitsune senbon zakura (義経千本桜, Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Date: 9^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei

Actors: Nakamura Utaemon IV as the fox Genkuro (left), disguised as Sato Tadanobu, leaping from a balcony, and Onoe Baiko IV as Yoshitsune’s mistress Shizuka-gozen (right)

Play: Yoshitsune senbon zakura (義経千本桜, Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Date: 9^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Minato-ya Kohei

Actors: Nakamura Utaemon IV as Kitsune (fox) Tadanobu (狐忠信, left) and Onoe Baiko IV as Shizuka Gozen (right)

Play: Yoshitsune senbon zakura (義経千本桜, Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)

Date: 9^th month of 1847 (censors Muramatsu and Yoshimura)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Chû (phonetic pronunciation of 忠)

“Robinson” refers to series number in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson, 1961, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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