Open Metropolitan/「摂府真助」「市川子團次」「岸野年秋　市川左團次」「西条高盛　市川團十郎」「倉田進八郎尾上菊五郎」「正太郎中村仲太郎」「孫市尾上菊之介」「徳丸市川幸作」西南雲晴朝東風|Ichikawa Kodanji as Seppu Shinsuke, Ichikawa Sadanji as Kishino Toshiaki, Ichikawa Danjūrō as Saijō Takamori, Onoe Kikugorō as Kurata Shinpachirō, Nakamura Chūtarō as Shōtarō, Onoe Kikunosuke as Magoichi, and Ichikawa Kōsaku as Tokumaru in the play Okige no kumo harau asa gochi

「摂府真助」「市川子團次」「岸野年秋　市川左團次」「西条高盛　市川團十郎」「倉田進八郎尾上菊五郎」「正太郎中村仲太郎」「孫市尾上菊之介」「徳丸市川幸作」西南雲晴朝東風|Ichikawa Kodanji as Seppu Shinsuke, Ichikawa Sadanji as Kishino Toshiaki, Ichikawa Danjūrō as Saijō Takamori, Onoe Kikugorō as Kurata Shinpachirō, Nakamura Chūtarō as Shōtarō, Onoe Kikunosuke as Magoichi, and Ichikawa Kōsaku as Tokumaru in the play Okige no kumo harau asa gochi

Toyohara Kunichika

March, 1878 · Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

「摂府真助」「市川子團次」「岸野年秋　市川左團次」「西条高盛　市川團十郎」「倉田進八郎尾上菊五郎」「正太郎中村仲太郎」「孫市尾上菊之介」「徳丸市川幸作」西南雲晴朝東風|Ichikawa Kodanji as Seppu Shinsuke, Ichikawa Sadanji as Kishino Toshiaki, Ichikawa Danjūrō as Saijō Takamori, Onoe Kikugorō as Kurata Shinpachirō, Nakamura Chūtarō as Shōtarō, Onoe Kikunosuke as Magoichi, and Ichikawa Kōsaku as Tokumaru in the play Okige no kumo harau asa gochi — Toyohara Kunichika

This triptych illustrates a new type of play in the Meiji period, historical dramas (katsureki), which were promoted by Danjuro IX and which took their inspiration from recent events. Illustrated here is the Seinan rebellion against the Meiji government, which occurred in 1877. In this play, Danjuro, in the center, plays Saijo Takamori, a thinly disguised version of Saigo Takamori, who was the leader of the actual rebellion. Kunichika's use of a bright color for the background reflects the intensity of battle.

Artist: Toyohara Kunichika
Date: March, 1878
Medium: Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Culture: Japan
Department: Asian Art
Credit line: Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1959

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