Actor triptychs

1852, Part III

Actors: Left sheet: Arashi Rikan III as chef (ryôrinin) Kihei (料理人喜介) and Iwai Kumesaburô III as the courtesan Aburaya Okon (油や於こん)

Right sheet: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Fukuoka Mitsugi (福岡みつぎ)

Play: Ise ondo koi no netaba (The Ise Dances and Love’s Dull Blade, 伊勢音頭恋寝刃 or 伊勢音頭恋寝剣)

Date: 4^th month of 1852

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Kadomoto-ya Kinjirô

NOTE: Some sources give the date of this performance as the 2^nd month of 1852.

Actors: Left sheet: Arashi Rikan III as the cook Kisuke (料り人 喜介) and Iwai Kumesaburô III as the courtesan Aburaya Okon (油や おこん)

Right sheet: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Fukuoka Mitsugi (福岡 みつぎ)

Play: Ise ondo koi no netaba (The Ise Dances and Love’s Dull Blade, 伊勢音頭恋寝刃 or 伊勢音頭恋寝剣)

Date: 4^th month of 1852

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Kawara-ya Chôzô

Actors: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Fukuoka Mitsugi and Asao Okuyama III as the waitress (nakai) Manno (仲居まんの)

Play: Ise ondo koi no netaba (The Ise Dances and Love’s Dull Blade, 伊勢音頭恋寝刃 or 伊勢音頭恋寝剣)

Date: 4^th month of 1852 (censors Hama and Magome)

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Sumiyoshi-ya Masagorô

Actors: Left sheet: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Motoyoshi Yonosuke (元吉要之助) and Kawarazki Chôjûrô III as Tsushiomaru (対王丸)

Center sheet: Arashi Rikan III as Sansho Dayu’s daughter (musume) Osan (太夫娘おさん)

Right sheet: Ichikawa Ebizô V as Sansho Dayu (三荘太夫)

Play: Mukashi banashi Sansho Dayu (昔談柄三升太夫)

Date: 4^th month of 1852

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Kaga-ya Yasubei

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this alternate state of the above design.

Actors: Left sheet: Iwai Kumesaburô III as Gonroku’s wife (nyobo) Orachi (権六女房おらち) and Ichikawa Ebizô V as Oniyanagi Ichigaku (鬼柳一学)

Center sheet: Kawarazaki Chôjûrô III as Tsushiomaru (対王丸) and Arashi Rikan III as Yamaoka Gonroku (山岡権六)

Right sheet: Ichikawa Kuzô II as Ôwada Kuranoshin (大和田蔵之進) and Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Motoyoshi Yônosuke (元吉要之助)

Play: Mukashi banashi Sansho Dayu (昔談柄三升太夫)

Date: 4^th month of 1852

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô

I am grateful to Lucienne Parkan for the image.

Actors: Bandô Shuka I as Danshichi’s wife O-kaji (団七おかぢ, left) and Seki Sanjûrô III as the hag, wife of Giheiji of Mikawa-cho (義平次ばゞア, right)

Play: Shinzô tsurifune kidan (新造艣奇談)

Date: 5^th month of 1852

Theater: Ichimura

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tobei (山口屋藤兵衛)

Actors: Bandô Shuka I as Danshichi’s wife O-kaji (団七おかぢ, left) and Seki Sanjuro III as the hag, wife of Giheiji of Mikawa-cho (義平次ばゞア, right)

Play: Shinzô tsurifune kidan (新造艣奇談)

Date: 5^th month of 1852

Theater: Ichimura

Publisher: Sôgane (phonetic reading of 相金)

Actors: Bandô Shûka I as Danshichi Okaji and Seki Sanjûrô III as Giheiji Obaba

Play: Shinzô tsurifune kidan (新造艣奇談)

Date: 5^th month of 1852

Theater: Ichimura

Publisher: Minato-ya Kohei

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this image.

Actors: Arashi Kichisaburô III as Kumagai Jirô Naozane (right) killing Onoe Kikujirô II as Atsumori (left)

Play: Suma no Miyako Genpei Tsutsuji (須磨都源平躑躅)

Date: 5^th month of 1852

Theater: Ichimura

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

Actors:

Play: ?

Date: 5^th month of 1852

Theater:

Publisher: Mita-ya Kihachi

Actors: Iwai Kumesaburô III as tayû Sakuragi (柏木太夫, left), Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Ôboshi Yuranosuke (大星由良之助, center), and Arashi Rikan III as Ôtaka Bungo (大鷹文吾, right)

Play: ?

Date: 5^th month of 1852

Theater:

Publisher: Sôshû-ya Yohei

NOTE: This triptych may be a mitate, meaning that these actors did not actually perform this production on stage.

Another state of two sheets from the preceding triptych

Actors: Ichikawa Komazô VII as Iinuma Katsugorô (飯沼勝五郎), unidentified actor as the wife Hatsuhana (妻初花), and Nakamura Tsuruzô I as Satô Gôsuke (佐藤郷助)

Play: Hakone reigen izari no adauchi (箱根霊験躄仇討)

Date: 6^th month of 1852

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Kawachi-ya Chôzô

I am grateful to Lucienne Parkan for information about this print.

Actors: Left sheet: Iwai Kumesaburô III as Princess Tagoto

Center sheet: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Jiraiya (upper figure) and Arashi Rikan III as Orochimaru (lower figure)

Right sheet: Ichikawa Kuzô II as Yashagorô (with sword)

Play: Jiraiya gôketsu monogatari (Tale of the Hero Jiraiya, 児雷也豪傑譚語)

Date: 7^th month of 1852

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Kiya Sôjirô

Actors: Iwai Kamesaburô III as the courtesan Ayame (けいせいあやめ) and Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Jiraiya (比企の蔵人 実ﾊ児雷也)

Play: Jiraiya gôketsu monogatari (Tale of the Hero Jiraiya, 児雷也豪傑譚語)

Date: 7^th month of 1852

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Masugindô

I am grateful to Ward Pieters for locating this image

Actors: Left sheet: Ichikawa Kodanji IV as priest Koyo (孝養丸) and Nakamura Jiukujûrô ? (中村 雀十郎) as 珍あみ

Right sheet: Onoe Baiko IV as Koubai (紅梅)

Play: Otogi banashi hakata no imaori (御伽譚博多新織)

Date: 9^th month of 1852

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke

Another state of the above design

Actors: Left sheet: Bandô Hikosaburô IV as 栗川内膳, and Nakamura Tsuruzô I as Ujibe Dennai (氏部伝内)

Right sheet: Bandô Hikosaburô IV as Sadajuki (筑紫大領貞行) and Morita Kanya XI as Otsubo Magozaemon (長谷部孫左エ門)

Play: Otogi banashi hakata no imaori (御伽譚博多新織)

Date: 9^th month of 1852

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Yamamoto-ya Heikichi

I am grateful to Robert Pryor for this keyblock print for the above diptych.

Actors: Ichikawa Kodanji IV as the priest Koyo (centre), is tortured by Ichikawa Ichizo I in red stage make-up as Senriki Gonzo (left), and Nakamura Tsuruzo I as Ujibe Dennai (right), holding an upright sword

Play: Otogi banashi hakata no imaori (御伽譚博多新織)

Date: 9^th month of 1852

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Kawachi-ya

NOTE: Scenes of torture are common in kabuki

Actors: Nakamura Kanemon IV as Takebayashi Sadashichi Takashige (武林貞七隆重, left), Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Seta Masanojo (潮田政之丞高教, center), and Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Ôtaka Gengo Tadao (大鷹伝吾忠雄, right)

Play: Kanadehon Chûshingura

Date: 11^th month of 1852

Theater:

Publisher: Kakumoto-ya Kinjirô

NOTE: Each sheet bears the title “Mirror of the Loyal Courage of the Faithful Retainers” (Chûshin giyû kagami, 忠臣義勇鑑). The sheets are listed as series 206 in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961).

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