About This Print
This print is one twelve small format prints created by Toyonari for the short-lived 1915 magazine Shin Nigao whose purpose was to advertise the Kabuki theater and renew interest in actor prints. This print pictures the actor Sawamura Sōjūrō VII (1875-1949) playing the role of Yosaburō in the play Kirare Yosa (Scarface Yosaburō), or some variant thereof, playing at the The Imperial Theatre (Teikoku Gekijō) in April 1915. Yosaburō wears a scarf to conceal his face which has been mutilated by gangsters. The silver background of this print is impregnated with mica dust. This print appeared in the first issue of the magazine published in June 1915.For more information on this short-lived magazine whose purpose was to advertise the Kabuki theater and renew interest in actor prints, see the article Shin Nigao Magazine.
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #2161 |
| Title | [Sawamura] Sōjūrō [VII] [in the role of] Yosaburō 宗十郎の與三郎 (as printed in the table of contents of issue 1) |
| Series | Magazine: Shin Nigao (New Portraits) volume one 新似顔 第一年初編 |
| Artist | Yamamura Toyonari (1885-1942) |
| Signature |  |
| Seal | none |
| Date | June 1915 |
| Edition | First and only edition printed in magazine Shin Nigao |
| Publisher | Nigaodō 似顔洞 |
| Carver | Igami Bonkotsu (1875-1933) |
| Printer | Nakamura Sanjirō 中村三次郎 |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | good - light overall toning; removed from original mounting sheet |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Genre | shin hanga (new prints); nigao-e |
| Format | koban |
| H x W Paper | 7 1/4 x 4 13/16 in. (18.4 x 12.2 cm) |
| H x W Image | 6 3/8 x 4 1/8 in. (16.2 x 10.5 cm) |
| Collections This Print | The British Museum 1991,1112,0.193.1 (entire magazine, only front cover shown); Art Research Center Ritsumeikan University BM-SJ193-01 (British Museum's copy of entire magazine with all pages shown) |
| Reference Literature | |
7/31/2020
10/18/2019 created
 |  |  |  |  |