Kunisada: Haru with Wooden Half-Barrel

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864)
Title: Kakuju
Series:  Contest of Roles : Mirror of “Tenarai Kagami” (Hanakurabe tenarai kyô no uchi)
Date: 10/1852

One of ten portraits from the Kabuki play "Sugawara’s Secrets of Calligraphy" (Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami). This is one of the three most popular plays in the kabuki repertoire, and it is set in the 9th centuryand is based on the life of the Heian period court noble Sugawara no Michizane,  although in the play he is referred to with the pseudonym Kan Shojo.

This is a portrait of Haru, wife of Umeo, who was one of three retainers of the protagonist. The work is beautifully printed, with mica added to the roof of the ouse in the background, and the shiny lacquer-imitating effect on the black obi of the actor. 

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Untrimmed and unbacked.
Dimensions: ôban 36.6 x 25 cm
Publisher: Kogaya Katsugorô
Signature: Toyokuni ga

SKU: KUS257