Woodblock diptych print, oban tate-e. A scene from the kabuki play 'Yoshitsune senbon zakura' performed at the Kawarasaki theatre in the autumn of 1847. The actor Nakamura Utaemon IV as the fox Genkuro (left), disguised as Sato Tadanobu, leaping from a balcony, and Onoe Kikugoro- IV (Baiko- IV, 1808–60) as Yoshitsune's mistress, Shizuka-gozen (right), holding out a sword in self-defence. A scene from Yoshitsune senbon-zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees). This performance was staged in the ninth month, 1847, at the Kawarasaki Theatre in Edo. The play interweaves several stories around the figure of Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159–89), a famous general who played a crucial part in helping his half-brother Yoritomo defeat the rival Taira clan and become shogun in the late twelfth century.
Kuniyoshi Utagawa
1847-01-01
Ritsumeikan University (Art Research Center) <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/archive01/theater/html/maiduru/shizukanisiki1.htm">http://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/archive01/theater/html/maiduru/shizukanisiki1.htm</a>