Japanese Print "The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon Kakitsu as Taira Taro Yoshikado" by Utagawa Kunisada
Artist:Utagawa Kunisada
Title:The Actor Ichimura Uzaemon Kakitsu as Taira Taro Yoshikado
Date:second month, 1863
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Source:Worcester Art Museum
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Description:
This print is a portrait of the Kabuki actor Ichimura Uzaemon Kakitsu IV (later Onoe Kikugoro V, 1844-1903), striking a pose in the role of the handsome Yoshikado, the son of Taira Masakado. It is an exquisite impression, showing the wood grain texture of the printing block, subtle shading and mica flakes. Several legends and Kabuki plays dealt with Yoshikado's continued struggle against government-appointed warriors sent to kill him. The young man, a skilled archer, and his sister Takiyasha are believed to have lived as magicians and brigands in the ruins of the abandoned Soma castle. Their sole companions were the ghosts of Masakado's murdered warriors.