.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Because of the success of full-figure actor images designed by Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825) and published by Nishimuraya Yohachi and Izumiya Ichibei, the rival house Koshodo leapt into the ring in 1794. Its impresario, Tsutaya Juzaburo, teamed with Sharaku for a total of one hundred forty-five actor prints and ten sumo prints, including the twenty-eight close-ups represented by lot 116 [the okubi-e of Sakata Hangoro] in this sale. While at first glance the double-image might appear conventional compared to the full-face likeness, it also has unusual elements that always distinguish works by Sharaku: here, the intimacy between the characters by pressing the figures so close together; the tension implied by her agitated hand clasp and loose strands of hair; the daintier air of her suitor by the slight twist of the leg. Kikunojo’s pose with the knee thrust upwards is a theatrical standard for courtesan roles. In a Toyokuni print of the same actor in the same female part, the courtesan, shown standing, is statuesque but static (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 11.24971). We do not have to know the scene to imagine what is going on in the Sharaku treatment.
The kabuki play, Keisei sanbon karakasa (The Courtesan and the Three Parasols) was performed at Edo’s Miyako Theater in the seventh lunar month of 1794. The drama concerns the rivalry between Sanzaemon and Fuwa Banzaemon Shigekatsu over the courtesan Katsuragi. Because she favors Sanzaemon, Bunzaemon determines to do him in. In a print in smaller format (hosoban; approx. 31 x 14 cm), the menacing villain holds Sanzaemon’s sword that Bunzaemon will use to kill him (Minneapolis Institute of Art, P.13, 734). With the customary twists and turns, the gist of the plot is the avenging of Bunzaemon’s death by his son. Two Sharaku prints of Segawa Kikunojo III in the same role as a single, standing figure are in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (11.16494; 11.19273). The rare print here exists in a handful of institutions, including the Tokyo National Museum, British Museum, Metropolitan Museum and The Art Institute of Chicago.
The kabuki play, Keisei sanbon karakasa (The Courtesan and the Three Parasols) was performed at Edo’s Miyako Theater in the seventh lunar month of 1794. The drama concerns the rivalry between Sanzaemon and Fuwa Banzaemon Shigekatsu over the courtesan Katsuragi. Because she favors Sanzaemon, Bunzaemon determines to do him in. In a print in smaller format (hosoban; approx. 31 x 14 cm), the menacing villain holds Sanzaemon’s sword that Bunzaemon will use to kill him (Minneapolis Institute of Art, P.13, 734). With the customary twists and turns, the gist of the plot is the avenging of Bunzaemon’s death by his son. Two Sharaku prints of Segawa Kikunojo III in the same role as a single, standing figure are in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (11.16494; 11.19273). The rare print here exists in a handful of institutions, including the Tokyo National Museum, British Museum, Metropolitan Museum and The Art Institute of Chicago.