Actor triptychs

1853

Actors: Left sheet: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Sanshichiro Yoshitaka (三七郎義孝)

Right sheet: Ichikawa Kodanji IV, Seki Sanjûrô III, and Ichikawa Komazô VII

Play: Kozote Kuruwa Mimasu no date zome (襷廓三升伊達染)

Date: 1^st month of 1853

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Mita-ya Kihachi

Actors: Left sheet: Onoe Baikô IV as Shirajiku (白菊) and an unidentified actor

Right sheet: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Sanshiro Yoshitaka (三七郎義孝) and Seki Sanjûrô III as Iwami Tarô Tomohide (岩見太郎友秀)

Play: Kozote Kuruwa Mimasu no date zome (襷廓三升伊達染)

Date: 1^st month of 1853 (censors Fuku and Muramatsu)

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher:

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

Actors: Left sheet: Ichikawa Hirogorô I as Utsubo Yakurô (宇壷矢九郎), and unidentified actors as Kôtetsu Tachizô (荒鉄太刀蔵) and the servant (shimobe) Gansuke (下部がん助)

Center sheet: Bandô Shûka I as Aoyagi Harunosuke (青柳春之助) and Bandô Takesaburô I as Yukioka Fuyujirô (雪岡冬次郎)

Right sheet: Bandô Hikosaburô IV as Ôtomo Keibu Sôren (大友刑部宗連) and Ichikawa Dannosuke V as Kagesawa Natsunojô (蔭沢夏之丞)

Play: Shiranui monogatari (しらぬひ譚)

Date: 2^nd month of 1853

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Mita-ya Kihachi

Actors: Left sheet: Ichikawa Dannosuke V as Kagesawa Natsunojô (蔭沢夏之丞) and Arashi Kunigorô I as Kôtetsu Tachizô (荒鉄太刀蔵)

Center sheet: Bandô Shuka I as Aoyagi Shunnosuke (青柳春之助), Ichikawa Hirogorô I as 宇壺矢九郎 and Ichikawa Daijirô VI as the servant (shimobe) Gansuke 下部がん助

Right sheet: Bandô Hikosaburô IV as 大友刑部宗連 and Bandô Takesaburô I as Yukioka Fuyujirô (雪岡冬次郎)

Play: Shiranui monogatari (しらぬひ譚)

Date: 2^nd month of 1853

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Ebi-ya Rinnosuke

Actors: Left sheet: Bandô Shûka I as Funakoshi jitsuwa Wakana hime (船越実ハ若菜姫)

Right sheet: Arashi Rikan III as Genkai Nadaemon (玄海滝右衛門), Arashi Rikaku II as Washizu Rokurô (鷲津六郎), and Bandô Takesaburô I as Wachizu Shichorô (鷲津七郎)

Play: Shiranui monogatari (しらぬひ譚)

Date: 2^nd month of 1853

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Kakumoto-ya Kinjirô

Actors: Miyagino (宮城野), who together with her younger sister Shinobu is taking revenge on her father’s murderer, Shiga Danshichi (志賀団七)

Play:

Date: 4^th month of 1853

Theater:

Publisher: Mori-ya Jihei

Actors: Arashi Rikaku II as kitsune (fox) Tadanobu (源九郎狐, left), Bandô Shuka I as Shizuka gozen (center), and Bandô Takesaburô I as Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経, inset)

Play: Yoshitsune Senbon zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees, 裏表千本桜)

Date: 5^th month of 1853

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Mikawa-ya Kihei

Actors: Seki Sanjûrô III as Momoi Wakasa Nosuke (桃井若狭之介) and Ichikawa Kodanji IV as Gotobei (五斗兵衛)

Date seal: 8^th month of 1853

Publisher: Ki-ya Sôjirô

Note: This print is dated the 8^th month of 1853, but does not seem to correspond to any known performance. It is probably a mitate (imaginary scene). I am grateful to Marc DeVriese for this image

Actors: Bandô Takesaburô I as Danzaburô (団三郎) and an unidentified actor as Hataemon (畑右衛門)

Date seal: 8^th month of 1853 (date seal)

Publisher: Ki-ya Sôjirô

Note: This print is dated the 8^th month of 1853, but does not seem to correspond to any known performance. It is probably a mitate (imaginary scene).

Actors: Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as Rokusuke (六三郎) and Bandô Shûka I as Osono (おその)

Play: Kana kyôdai musume no adauchi (仮名㚾姉娘復讐)

Date: 8^th month of 1853

Theater: Ichimura

Publisher: Ki-ya Sôjirô

Note: This print is dated the 9^th month of 1853, but does not seem to correspond to any known performance. It is probably a mitate (imaginary scene).

A greatly simplified version of the above design

Actors: Bandô Shûka I as Koheiji

Play: Kaidan kohada koheiji (怪談木幡小平治)

Date: 9th month of 1853

Theater: Kawarasaki

Publisher: Mikawa-ya Tetsugorô

Actors: Nakamura Tomijûrô II as Ichimisai’s daughter (musume) Osono (一味斎娘おその, left) and Arashi Kichisaburô III as Keyamura Rokusuke (毛谷村六助, right)

Play: Kana kyôdai musume no adauchi (仮名㚾姉娘復讐)

Date: 9^th month of 1853

Theater: Ichimura

Publisher: Maru-ya Seijirô

Title of triptych: The Tale of Shiraishi: The Revenge (Shiraishibanashi katakiuchi no zu, 白石噺敵討の図)

Actors: Iwai Kumesabûrô III as the courtesan Miyagino and Nakamura Tomijûrô II as her sister Shinobu taking their revenge on Kyôgoku Takumi who killed their father Yoshioka Ichimisai

Play: Kana kyodai musume adauchi (仮名㚾娣娘復讐)

Date: 10^th month of 1853

Theater: Ichimura

Publisher: Yamaguchi-ya Tôbei

I am grateful to Ward Pieters for locating this image.

Another state of the above design

Actors: Ichikawa Saruzô I as Komachi hime (小町姫, left), Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII as seki Sekibei (関兵衛, center sheet), and Ichikawa Komazô VII as Munesada (宗貞, right)

Play: Tsumoru koi yukino seki no to (積恋雪関扉)

Date: 11^th month of 1853

Theater: Nakamura

Publisher: Jôshû-ya Kinzô

NOTE: This is a modified version of a design that was originally published for Tsumoru koi yuki no seki no to in the 11^th month of 1846.

Actors: Actors as Tokiwa-gozen (常盤御前, left), Yaheibee Munekiyo (弥平兵衛宗清, center), and Munekiyo’s wife (tsuma) Kashiwagi (宗清つま柏木, right)

Play: Unidentified

Date: 1842-1846 with seal of the censor Watanabe Shôemon (top) and 12^th month of 1853 (bottom)

Publisher: Tsujioka-ya Bunsuke (top) and Izutsu-ya Shôkichi (bottom)

NOTE: This triptych was listed as “Tokiwa-gozen and her children in the snowˮ by Robinson in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) based on his having seen only the left sheet. However, the privately published supplement states “This turns out to be a theatrical triptych, the production so far unidentified”. The play may be Genpei sakigake tsutsuji (魁源平躑躅).

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN PAGE