Kuniyoshi: Actors as shamisen, sparrow and tengu king (Sold)

Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Title: Actors as shamisen, sparrow and tengu king
Date: 1847

Title: Tsuku mono ken. Actors playing ken. Seated in the back is the onnagata Onoe Baikô IV as a swallow, drawn as a tayu, the highest ranking courtesan. Ichikawa Kuzô II is shown as a shamisen in the role of the hunter. Nakamura Utaemon IV is portrayed as the tengu king Sôjôbô, who wears the traditional cap on his head and has an outsized nose and is posed in the role of the village headman. Games of ken have been compared with “Rocks, Paper, Scissors” in our culture. At the time in kabuki theater, ken dance interludes were very popular. The title can roughly be translated as “Pairs that belong together.”

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition.
Dimensions: ôban
Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô
Literature: See Sepp Linhart’s article in Andon 83, page15, number 16.
Seal: artist’s seal
Signature: Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi ga

SKU: KUY472