Onoe Kikugorō V as Shinohara Kunimoto from the series One Hundred Roles of Baikō

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Japanese Color Woodblock Print

Onoe Kikugorō V as Shinohara Kunimoto

from the series One Hundred Roles of Baikō

by Toyohara Kunichika, 1894

Ichikawa Danjūrō IX as Mongaku Shonin from the series One Hundred Roles of Ichikawa Danjuro

IHL Cat. #1563

About This Print

The actor Onoe Kikugorō V (1844-1903) as the pro-government solider Shinohara Kunimoto (1836-1877) and, in the top inset, Ichikawa Danjūrō IX as Saigō Takamori, the leader of the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, in the play The Morning East Wind Clearing the Clouds of the Southwest (Okige no Kumo Harau Asagochi) performed at the Shintomi-za in March 1878. According to Brandon and Leiter, "The scenes of modern warfare, with exploding artillery shells (simulated by fireworks) and gunfire, were a great success" and were "an extremely important step toward contemporary realism."¹

For profiles of Onoe Kikugorō V and Ichikawa Danjūrō IX please see the article The Kabuki Actor.

¹ Kabuki Plays on Stage: Restoration and Reform, 1872-1905, ed., James R. Brandon, Samuel L. Leiter, University of Hawaii Press, 2003, p. 91.

The Series "One Hundred Roles of Baikō"
Source: Time Present and Time Past: Images of a Forgotten Master: Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900), Amy Reigle Newland, Hotei Publishing, 1999, p. 26, 27.

In 1893 Kunichika undertook a commission for two series of single-sheet portraits, each dedicated to the two most famous actors of their time, Ichikawa Danjūrō IX (1838-1903) and Onoe Kikugorō V (1844-1903). The first of these, One hundred roles of Danjūrō, featured the major roles of Ichikawa Danjūrō IX in a set of half-length portraits. (See print IHL Cat. #s 663, 689 and 701.) The second, One hundred roles of Baikō, featured the major roles of Onoe Kikugorō V and included an insert on the top of the print depicting a supporting actor. Both the series were commissioned by Fukuda Kumajirō and Gusokuya Kahei. These two series are regarded as ‘monuments to his [Kunichika’s] career’.

The name "Baikō" in the series title was the haiku pen name of Onoe Kikugorō V and Kunichika was on friendly terms with him, often drinking tea and chatting backstage.

Print Details

IHL Catalog	#1563
Title (Description)	Onoe Kikugorō as Shinohara Kunimoto and Ichikawa Danjūrō IX as Saigō Takamori [inset] in the play Mikawa gofūdo-ki 篠原国幹尾上菊五郎・西郷隆盛市川團十郎・三河後風土記
Series	One Hundred Roles of Baikō 梅幸百種之内 Baikō hyakushu no uchi
Artist	Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900)
Signature	豊原国周筆 Toyohara Kunichika hitsu
Seal	not sealed
Publication Date	1894 明治廿七月日印刷発行 [printed and published 1894]
Publisher	Fukuda Kumajirō 福田熊次郎 seal: Ningyōchō Gusokuya, han 人形丁具足屋板 [Marks: pub. ref. 071; seal ref. 26-075]
Carver	Nisei Hori Ei 二卋彫栄
Impression	excellent
Colors	excellent
Condition	good - overall toning, full-size; not backed
Genre	ukiyo-e; yakusha-e
Miscellaneous	print number 四十四 44 in the series
Format	vertical oban
H x W Paper	14 x 9 15/16 in. (35.6 x 25.2 cm)
H x W Image	13 1/2 x 9 in. (34.3 x 22.9 cm)
Literature	Time Present and Time Past: Images of a Forgotten Master: Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900), Amy Reigle Newland, Hotei Publishing, 1999, p. 27; cat. 109, p. 132
Collections This Print	Waseda University Cultural Resource Database 007-2020, 007-3006, 406-0022; Tokyo Metropolitan Library 加5968(51)/加05968(051); Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art S2003.8.2709

last revision:

4/18/2021