Kunisada: Evening Meeting of Morning Glory Miyuki and Asojiro on Two Boats

Evening scene involving two boats, a full moon, falling cherry blossoms and two star-crossed lovers. From the Kabuki drama “Hanagatami gojû-san-tsugi”（花摘籠五十三次). In the center Ittô’s daughter (musume) Miyuki 逸当娘深雪;  on the left sheet, Miyagi Asojirô 宮城阿曽次郎, and to the is right Ittô’s wife (tsuma) Shimoyo 逸当母霜夜.

Miyuki, center, holding a fan, seems to be inviting Asojirô to join her on her yakata-bune boat. Her kimono as well as her fan are all prominently decorated with asagao, morning glories.  This must be a reference to Asagao Nikki 朝顔日記, Diary of Morning Glory, which is the basis of this drama. Cherry petals float through the evening air, adding to the charm of the design.

Here is the story of Asagao Nikki: Miyuki first met Asojiro at hotarugari, firefly viewing at Uji, and fell in love at  first sight but they had to separate. Some time later, Miyuki’s family relocated to Akashi. When their boat was waiting for good wind, she happened to meet Asojirô, who was on the way to Kamakura. She wished to accompany him, but they were sadly separated again. Upon departure, Miyuki gave him her fan with a poem about the morning glory. When she became the age for marriage, her father proposed a candidate  by the name of “Komazawa Jirôzaemon”, actually the other name of Asojirô, as her candidate. Without knowing the person was Asojirô, she refused this match. Miyuki, in great distress,  ran away and cried so much that she became blind. She wondered around, playing her koto. Then Asojirô happened to meet her again at Shimada and recognized her, since she sang the poem of the morning glory, but the situation did not allowed him to confess and he departed. When Miyuki came to know about him, she looked for him to the Ôi River and eventually they were together and she could see with her both eyes again.

The Kabuki scene must be when Miyuki handed over her fan with a poem of morning glory when she was heading for Akashi, and he, to Kamakura. The setting of this story mainly is Kusatsu, the place mentioned on this print. The MFA Boston mentions actors Sawamura Tanosuke III as Miyuki, Ichikawa Ichizô III as Miyagi, and Arashi Hinasuke VII as Shimoyo.