Gosōtei Hirosada 1810-1864
Actor Nakamura Utaemon IV as Bishop Henjô
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Series
- The Fashionable Six Poetic Immortals
- Publisher
- The Fashionable Six Poetic Immortals
Chuban, 18.0 cm × 26.0 cm
Excellent impression, colour and condition, with large margins.
An okubi-e (big head) print of the actor Nakamura Utaemon IV as the Bishop Henjô from the dance-play Yoso’oi Rokkasen. This was the actor’s final performance of the hengemono (transformation dance), a multiple-roles dance showcase performed by one actor, with quick changes of costume. This showcases a single actor dancing a series of contrasting roles in quick succession. Henjô is the introductory section, portraying an elderly priest of great learning. Signed Gosōtei Hirosada.
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Gosōtei Hirosada 1810-1864
Bandô Jutarô II in the role of Kiritarô.
- Category
- Japanese | 20th Century
- Series
- Chûkô Buyûden.
chuban tate-e, 12.0 cm × 12.0 cm
Excellent impression, colour and condition, with attractive oxidation to the metallic pigments.
A print from Hirosada's series of actor portraits in various roles, Chûkô Buyûden, Chronicles of courage, loyalty, and filial piety. The series consisted of about 120 portraits. Neither the actor, nor the play are named on the sheet. Tenpô Reforms banned the production of actor prints in Osaka from the seventh month of 1842, and although restrictions were relaxed by 1847, print makers remained cautious. However, to the theatre-going public the actor and role would have been immediately identifiable. This print shows Bandô Jutarô II in the role of the magician Kiritarô from the play Keisei Hanabusa Zoshi, performed at the Chikugo Theatre, Osaka in January 1849. The role had been a huge success for Bandô Jûtarô I in 1835. Osaka prints, kamigata-e, are often finely printed, with expensive materials, evident in the metallic pigments, oxidised in this example.
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