About This Print

This print depicts a scene from Act VII of a jōruri performance of the play Chūshingura Sugata no Eawase which played at the Ichimura-za on May 7, 1865.  Ichimura Kakitsu IV seated on the far left and Bandō Mitsugorō VI to his right are providing a chanted narrative, accompanied by Ichikawa Shinsha on shamisen. In front of them we see Bandō Hikosaburō V as Teraoka Heiemon and his younger sister (Imōto) Okaru. The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University notes 人形見ぶり for Hikosaburō's role, indicating that he is acting in a puppet-like style, using the exaggerated motions associated with puppetry.For another print by Kunisada II depicting this particular performance of Chūshingura Sugata no Eawase, but not from this particular series of diptychs and produced by a different publisher, see IHL Cat. #971, Jōruri Chūshingura Nidanme Sannin Yakko.

The Actors in the Print