“Meijiza sangatsu kyougen"明治座三月狂言(Meijiza May Kyogen Marchi) - Utagawa Kunisada III (1848-1920)(Utagawa kunimasa Ⅳ) - Japan - Meiji periode (1868-1912)

Original woodblock print vertical diptych – Utagawa Kunisada III (1848-1920)(Utagawa kunimasa Ⅳ)-“Meijiza sangatsu kyougen"明治座三月狂言(Meijiza May Kyogen Marchi)- Japan – 1891(meiji 24 period)


Actors
Ichikawa Koyone 市川小米 playing the role of Toyotomihideyori 豊臣秀頼
Ichiakwa Wakamasu 市川若升 playing the role of Shizuka 淀君
Ichikawa Sadanji 市川権十郎 playing the role of Sanada Yukimura 真田幸村
Ichikawa Sadanji 市川左団次 playing the role of Kimura Nagatomamoru 木村長門守

The signature says “Kouchourou Toyosai hitsu 香蝶楼豊斎筆”.
This sign “Kouchourou hitsu” is also used by the, fifth Utagawa Kunimasa.

Kunisada III was good at drawing Kabuki actors. I was particularly good at caricatures by Ichikawa Sadanji .

This work also depicts Ichiakwa Sadanji 市川左団次 .

The person holding the calligraphy and holding the sword is Sadanji.

A backing paper is attached to the woodblock print to increase its strength.

A disciple of the 3rd generation Utagawa Kunisada and the 4th generation Utagawa Kunisada. His artname is Takeuchi (his mother), his childhood name is Asataro, and his first name is Eihisa. He used the artname Baidou(梅堂), Baichoro(梅朝楼), Kochoro(香朝楼), Ichijusai(一寿斎), Baidouhousai(梅堂豊斎),and Hosai(芳斎). Born in Nihonbashi, Edo (currently Tokyo’s 23 wards). His father is Eijiro Osakaya大阪屋栄次郎 (Sadayama Kineya), and his mother is Sato Takeuchi. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Tomiyoshicho, Fukagawa. The third generation Kunisada refers to his mother’s surname. In 1858, he was introduced to his father’s friend Kunimaro Utagawa’s father at the age of 11 and became a disciple of the third generation Toyokuni. Utagawa Kunimasa). After the death of the third generation Kunisada, he studied painting with the second generation Kunisada Utagawa (fourth generation Kunisada). He inherited the name of Kunisada as the third generation in 1889, and first art named Kochoro. Furthermore, after 1891, he was named Hosai. He mainly painted civilization and actors, and was good at caricatures of the first Sadanji Ichikawa. He also draws many genre paintings.