The Chronicle of Three Generations in Kamakura: Sawamura Tanosuke III as Princess Toki
Toyohara Kunichika
Description
Subject Matter:
This play parodies the events during the Siege of Osaka in 1614 and 1615, the earliest days of the Tokugawa shogunate. It avoided censorship by replacing the characters and places with names from the 13th century founding of the Kamakura shogunate. It was originally written for bunraku (puppet) theater and later adapted for kabuki.
Actor Sawamura Tanosuke III was born into a family of kabuki actors in 1845. He was active from the time he was a child, in 1849. In the later part of his life he suffered from an unknown ailment that caused him to have both feet and parts of his hands amputated. In spite of his disability, he continued to perform until his death in 1878. He was best known for his onnagata (“female form” or “female role”) roles and for contemporary plays.
Physical Description:
In this print, a woman looks over her right shoulder in front of plain, dark background. She wears a bright robe that fades from red at the top to green at the bottom. It has blue and purple flowers on it, and the sleeves are decorated with rope. She holds a long package in her left hand, which is concealed by her sleeve. Her hair is decorated with blue flowers.
Inscriptions: Toyohime, Sawamura Tanosuke (Title); Kunichika ga (Artist's signature); Ebirin (Publisher's seal); Ushi 8, aratame (Censor's seal)
Usage Rights:
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