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Celebratory Soga for the New Year: Ichimura Uzaemon XII and Ichikawa Kodanji IV as the Mechanical Performance Announcers Kakichi and Shodanji

Utagawa Kunisada

Artwork Details

Celebratory Soga for the New Year: Ichimura Uzaemon XII and Ichikawa Kodanji IV as the Mechanical Performance Announcers Kakichi and Shodanji
1848
Utagawa Kunisada
woodblock print on paper
14 3/4 in x 30 in (37.47 cm x 76.2 cm)
Gift of Sharlynn and Andrew Circo, in memory of Sotokichi Katsuizumi
2011/2.191.2

Description

Subject Matter:

Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XII was also known as Ichimura Takenojō V. He was born in 1812 and active from 1818 until his death in 1851.

Actor Ichikawa Kodanji IV was born to a family of kabuki actors in 1812. He was active in kabuki from 1820 until his death in 1866. He was known for his roles in jidaimono (period plays) and sewamono (contemporary plays) as well as for the techniques of chūnori (acting while suspended from the ceiling) and quick-changes (hayagawari).

This play is one of the many variations of the story of the Soga brothers, one of the most popular revenge stories of the Edo period. The story is based on a late Kamakura period (1185-1333) book, Soga monogatari that tells the tale of two brothers, Jūrō and Gorō, who take revenge for their father on Kudō Suketsune in 1193. The brothers were executed, and it is thought that the story may have been written to pacify their spirits.
 

Physical Description:

This is an image of two men, one standing behind the other, who is kneeling. Both wear matching clothes: black and white trousers, black socks, and multi-colored robes with a bulls-eye crest.  Behind them is a raised platform, decorated with multi-colored lotus flowers and blue and white tiles.
 
This is the center panel of a triptych (with 2011/2.191.1 and 2011/2.191.3).
 
Inscriptions: Toyokuni ga (Artist's signature); Yamaguchi Tōbei (Publisher's seal); Hama and Kinugasa (Censor's seals)

Usage Rights:

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