About This Print
Source: Kabuki 21 website http://www.kabuki21.com/genjuro.phpThe actor Nakayama Genjūrō II as Udesuke, who is seen twirling a slow burning matchrope, in this scene from the play "Kujira Obi Nishiki no Shingata, which mixed the Tengajaya1 world with Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki", and was performed at the Morita-za in the 4th lunar month 1867.
The inset scene above the actor looks to be inscribed 上野 (Ueno) and, if so, is a view of Kiyomizu Kannon-do in Ueno Park.
While other prints in this series display a print number in a circle at the bottom of the title cartouche, no print number appears on this print.
1 I assume this is a reference to the play The Revenge at Tengajaya
latest revision:
1 I assume this is a reference to the play The Revenge at Tengajaya
The Actor Pictured
For information on Nakayama Genjūrō II see The Kabuki Actor.About the Series Edo Meisho awase no uchi
This series matches actors portraying a specific character with famous places in Edo. It consists of at least 58 prints drawn by multiple artists, including Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900), Utagawa Kuniteru II (1830-1874) and Utagawa Yoshiiku (1833-1904), published by Masudaya Ginjirō . Two slightly different series titles are used on the prints: 江都名所合之内 Kōto meisho awase no uchi and 江戸名所合之内 Edo meisho awase no uchi. Note that Kōto was a synonym for Edo.
click on image to enlarge
A partial assemblage of the prints in the series
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #771 |
| Title (Description) | Nakayama Genjūrō II as Udesuke 腕助 (Note: the actor's name is not given on the print, only the role played.) |
| Series | Matches for Famous Places in Edo Edo meisho awase no uchi 江戸名所合之内 |
| Artist | Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900) |
| Signature | 国周筆 Kunichika hitsu |
| Seal | toshidama seal beneath signature |
| Publication Date |  |
| Publisher |  seal reading: Hanmoto, Masudaya, Shiba Shinmeimae 板元 増田屋 芝神 明前 [Marks: seal 24-061; pub. ref. 304] |
| Printer | |
| Carver | While there is no carver seal on this print, other prints in the series were carved by Horikō Yoshiharu 彫工善治 or Horikō Takichi 彫工舛吉. |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | good - several wormholes above series title cartouche; six horizontal soft folds |
| Genre | ukiyo-e; nigao-e; yakusha-e |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | vertical oban |
| H x W Paper | 14 3/4 x 9 7/8 in. (37.5 x 25.1 cm) |
| H x W Image | 14 1/4 x 9 5/8 in. (36.2 x 24.4 cm) |
| Literature | |
| Collections This Print | The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University 007-0313 and 007-0389 |
8/4/2021
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