About This Print
The actors, from right to left, Ichikawa Kodanji IV (市川小団次), in the role of Ude no Kisaburo (腕ノ喜三郎 one-arm Kisaburo), Kataoka Jūzō (片岡 十蔵) in the role of Ōtori Ippei (大鳥逸平) , Ichimura Kakitsu IV (市村家橘) playing Akebono Genta (曙源太) and Ichikawa Kuzō III (市川九蔵) in the role of Maboroshi Tanizo (幻長蔵) in the kabuki play Koko ga Edo Koude no Tatehiki by Kawatake Mokuami, which was staged in August 1863 at the Ichimura-za 市村.
This scene is set on the Kamakura Hanamizu bridge (鎌倉花水橋, as marked on the bridge post) and, while I have not found an English language plot summary of this play, we can be sure Ude no Kisaburo, the one-armed swordsman who cut his arm off at the elbow with a saw in order to earn his fencing teacher's forgiveness, is the hero.
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #672 |
| Title or Description | Koko ga Edo Koude no Tatehiki 慈江戸小腕達引 |
| Artist | Utagawa Yoshiiku (1833-1904) |
| Signature | Yoshiiku ga |
| Seal | |
| Publication Date | September 1863    aratame seals from left to right panels reading文久 bunkyū ０３ 亥九 sign of the hog 9th month |
| Publisher |  |
| Carver |  |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | good- remnants of previous mounting verso; minor wrinkling; soiling - particularly in lower half of print; not backed |
| Genre | ukiyo-e; yakusha-e |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | vertical oban triptych |
| H x W Paper | 14 1/8 x 9 5/8 in. (35.9 x 24.4 cm) each sheet |
| Literature | |
| Collections This Print | The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University 100-9984, 9985, 9986. |
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