Actor triptychs

1847, Part IV

Actors: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Chichibu Shoji Shigetada (left), Onoe Kikujirô II as Kagekiyo tsuma Akoya (center), and Onoe Tamizô II as Iwanaga Saemon Munetsura (right)

Play: Dan no Ura kabuto Gunki

Date: 8^th month of 1847

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Chû (phonetic pronunciation of 忠)

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 Rai 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 Rai Shokurô (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)

Actors: Left sheet: Iwai Kumesaburô III as Karigane Bunshichi (金文七) and Ichikawa Ebizô V as Rai Shokurô (雷庄九郎)

Right sheet: Ichikawa Kuzô II as Yasuno Heibei (安野平兵衛), Arashi Rikan III as Hotei Ichiemon (布袋市右エ門), and Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Gokuin Chiemon (極印千右エ門)

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

Another state of the above diptych

A single sheet from another state

Title: Karigane go-nin otoko (雁金五人男)

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

Center sheet: Ichikawa Ebizô V as Kaminari Shôkurô (雷庄五郎)

Right sheet: Seki Kasuke 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

NOTE: The relationship between this triptych and the preceding diptych is unclear. They show different actors in the same roles. It should be noted that the roles of the five otokodate (“street-knights” or chivalrous commoners) appear in different kabuki plays, and also that ukiyo-e prints sometimes portrayed a group of actors who never actually appeared together on stage, something akin to fantasy sports.

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 irogoto (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 irogoto (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: Kawaguchi-ya Uhei

Diptych title: Tsukumono-ken hitori geiko

Dance interlude: Tabi suzume Miyoshi no irogoto (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 irogoto (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 irogoto (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: 看立三社

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

Actors: Nakamura Utaemon IV as 春日の祢宜 (left), Onoe Baikô IV (center), and Ichikawa Kuzô II as Hanashi (はなし 鳥うり, right)

Date: 9^th month of 1847

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Wakasen (若仙)

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 Sembon Zakura (義経千本桜)

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 Gonda (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 Gonda Imoto Osato (娘おさと, woman)

Play: Yoshitsune Sembon Zakura (義経千本桜)

Date: 9^th month of 1847

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Ichi

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 Sembon Zakura (義経千本桜)

Date: 9^th month of 1847

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Iba-ya Kyûbei

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

Play: Yoshitsune Sembon Zakura (義経千本桜)

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 Sembon Zakura (義経千本桜)

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

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Wakasa-ya Uhei

Sheets from two alternative states of the above design. In the left sheet, the colors of the robe have been altered, and in the right sheet (courtesy of Marc DeVriese), the silhouette in the background is purple.

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)

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 Gonda (いがみの権太)

Right sheet: Onoe Baiko IV as 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)

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)

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)

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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