Kunisada: Asahina Tobei with Robe with Fantastic Beings

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865)
Title: Actor in role of Asahina with Robe with Supernatural Beings
Series: Eiyu  mitate junin otoko (Prosperous Actors of Kabuki as Ten Dandy Men)
Date: Ca. 1848

Here we see an actor who is associated with the role of Asahina Tobei. Asahina’s nickname, tsuruno-maru oyabun, means a boss with the crest of a crane in a circle, which here seems to appear as crests on his obi sash belt as well as the decoration of the title. Decorating his robe are different fantastic characters from a Gullivers Travels-type adventure story. We see on his lower kimono both ashinaga, a man with long legs holding a drum in his hand,  and a tenaga, a man with long arms, who balances a monkey on his hand. We also see a black figure holding a red coral and a magical woman with the wings of a bird on his upper robe.

Regarding this series of ten actor portraits, the first word, eiyu, is a play on words, as it is normally written as 英雄, meaning “ hero“ (of a war). However here  eiyu  is written as 栄優, referring to “the most popular actors. The second word, mitate, means “comparison” and junin otoko means “ten men”. In  Kabuki “Date-otoko” means “ninkyo,“ men of chivarlous spirit, namely those with the edokko (Edoite) temperament. They are very popular figures of Kabuki dramas. 

The actors in this set wear similar styles of kimono and the attributes of dandy men of Edo. These include a sword, a shakuhachi flute, a tobacco pouch, and a towel.  On each fantastic kimono design we see  the related scene of the actors and their roles in Kabuki drama. The name of the series is followed by the subtitles with the names of their famous kabuki roles. Although Kunisada omits the names of the actors, he puts many visual hints related to the stories and the actors , especially the scenes on their kimono layers and the symbols on the obi sash belts and towels.  Therefore the people of Edo at that time knew exactly who they were. Each title cartouche is framed with the specific attributes of the plays. The names of the actors did not appear on the series due to the fact that the censorship under the Tenpo Reforms restricted the publication of Kabuki actors’ portraits. In 1845 the restrictions officially ended; however the publishers of Ukiyo-e were cautious and it is said that they continued to stick to the restrictions. The artists had to be especially creative during this time when it came to actor prints.  (With thanks to Michiko Sato-Grube for her research on this artwork.)

Condition: Excellent impression and color. Very good condition. Binding holes at left. Unbacked and untrimmed.
Dimensions: ôban (35.6 x 24.5 cm)
Publisher: Sugi-U
Signature: Upon the request of the publisher (hangimoto no óju )  Kóchóró Toyokuni ga (with Toshidama seal in red)

SKU: KUC014SB