About This Print
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 | #2053 |
| Title (Description) | Onoe Kikugorō V as Washi no Chōki and koshodai [deceased] Kawarazaki Kunitarō as Tōgokuya musume 鷲の長吉 尾上菊五郎・東国屋娘およし 故初代河原崎国太郎 |
| Series | One Hundred Roles of Baikō 梅幸百種之内 Baikō hyakushu no uchi |
| Artist | Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900) |
| Signature |  |
| Seal | Toshidama seal 年玉印 [see above] |
| Publication Date | 1893 Note: date is trimmed from the left margin of this print but other impressions carry the incomplete date 明治廿 月 日 (Meiji 20). If the series' numbers on each print were issued in order, this print's publication date would have been Meiji 26 or 1893. |
| 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] Note: Publisher's name and seal is trimmed from the left margin |
| Carver |  |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | good - overall toning, left margin almost completely trimmed; backed |
| Genre | ukiyo-e; yakusha-e |
| Miscellaneous | print number 五十七 57 in the series Note: print number trimmed from the left margin |
| Format | vertical ōban |
| H x W Paper | 14 3/8 x 9 5/8 in. (36.5 x 24.4 cm) |
| H x W Image | 13 5/8 x 9 1/8 in. (34.6 x 23.2 cm) |
| Literature | |
| Collections This Print | Waseda University Cultural Resource Database 007-2012, 007-3019; Tokyo Metropolitan Library 加5968(63)/加05968(063) |
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