Sawamura Tanosuke [II] as Okaru
Utagawa Toyokuni I
Description
This print portrays Sawamura Tanosuke II (1788–1817) in the role of Okaru, one of the heroines in the ever-popular play Chûshingura (A Treasury of Loyal Retainers). In this night scene, Tanosuke/Okaru is disguised as a courtesan (note the elaborate hairdo and that her obi is tied in front, two characteristics of courtesan costume). She has just slipped out from a party of revelers and tiptoes away, perhaps to meet with another conspirator.
Tanosuke II was the third son of Sawamura Sôjûrô III, one of the most prominent actors on the Edo stage in the 1790s and early 1800s. Perhaps to avoid his father’s overwhelming aura, Tanosuke moved to Osaka in 1801, where he established a reputation as a gifted dancer and onnagata actor, with a beautiful voice. He returned to Edo to perform from 1808 to 1813 and again from 1815 until his death in 1816, and it must have been during one of these periods that this print was made. Utagawa Toyokuni, the designer of this work, specialized in actor prints and worked in Edo.
Maribeth Graybill, "Recent Acquisitions of East Asian Art," November 5, 2005-May 14, 2006
Subject Matter:
Chūshingura is one of the most popular kabuki plays, with a plot known to English audiences as The Forty-seven Ronin. Purportedly based on real events surrounding the Asano family, the play recounts the crime and punishment of Enya Hangan (Asano Naganori) and the revenge taken by Hangan’s retainers.
Very little is known about actor Sawamura Tanosuke II. He was born in 1788 and held the name Tanosuke from 1801 until his death in 1817.
Physical Description:
This is a print of a woman. She stands barefoot in front of a wooden walkway. A small house is visible in the background. Her robes are decorated with white flowers, trimmed in black and white on the bottom. Her hair is elaborately decorated with pins. A tree grows near the house.
Inscriptions: Artist’s signature: Toyokuni ga; Publisher’s seal: kyū; Censor’s seal: kiwame; Okaru, Sawamura Tanosuke
Usage Rights:
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