Image

Nishimura Shigenaga

The actors Ichimura Takenojo as Kudo Suketsune and Sanjo Kantaro as the princess Tatsuhime in the play Hinazuru unagasu Soga performed at the Ichimura Theatre 1722.11

Description

Maker

Nishimura Shigenaga (Japanese, ca. 1697-1756)
Omiya Kyuhei (Japanese), publisher

Title

The actors Ichimura Takenojo as Kudo Suketsune and Sanjo Kantaro as the princess Tatsuhime in the play Hinazuru unagasu Soga performed at the Ichimura Theatre 1722.11

Period

Edo (Japanese period)

Year

late 1730s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan; Place Made: Tokyo

Dimensions

Sheet: 33.7 x 15.9 cm (13 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: Eshi Nishimura Shigenaga hitsu

Seals: Artist's seal | Shigenaga

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

20.1064

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Edo Theater
The Drama of Kabuki
Jan 18, 2008 – May 18, 2008

Label copy

This scene is from a kabuki play based on the medieval revenge story of the Soga brothers, Hinazuru unagasu Soga, which is known in over 300 staged versions.

Suketsune is the villain responsible for the death of the brothers' father and Tatsuhime, the beautiful princess. The butterfly emblem on the back of Kantaro's robe is both his own crest and that of the younger Soga brother, Goro.

This print commemorates a performance of the eleventh lunar month of 1722 at the Ichimura Theater, but was made later. The inscriptions give the actors' names and the names of the people whom they portray.

On Stage
Japanese Theater Prints
May 13, 1988 – Sep 04, 1988
Japanese Prints of the Kabuki
Sep 05, 1986 – Nov 23, 1986
Kabuki

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Nishimura Shigenaga (Japanese, ca. 1697-1756)
Omiya Kyuhei (Japanese), publisher
The actors Ichimura Takenojo as Kudo Suketsune and Sanjo Kantaro as the princess Tatsuhime in the play Hinazuru unagasu Soga performed at the Ichimura Theatre 1722.11, late 1730s
Polychrome wood block print
Sheet: 33.7 x 15.9 cm (13 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 20.1064

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