Shin'ei (新栄) (artist 1920s)
Nakamura Utaemon V as the nurse Masaoka of the Date clan in the play Meiboku Sendai Hagi , No. 24 from the series Portraits by Shin'ei (Shin-ei hitsu nise-e)
1920s
10.25 in x 15.25 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese color woodblock print
Signed in the upper right: Shin'ei hitsu (新栄筆)
Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi
Waseda University - signed along the left center
Kabuki21 - signature along the right center
Waseda University - 1949 Ota Masamitsu print of Utaemon V as Masaoka
Lyon Collection - Shunsen print of Nikki Danjō
Honolulu Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art - signed along the upper left
Honolulu Museum of Art - another possible onnagata print from this series "Masaoka, the heroic nurse of the infant prince from the play Meiboku Sendai hagi (The Disputed Succession). Masaoka is largely responsible for foiling an attempted coup, led by the wicked Nikki Danjo. She allows her own son Senmatsu to eat poisoned cakes that Lady Yoshio [sic] (one of the coup plotters) had meant for the prince, and subsequently watches as Lady Yashio murders the child before the poison could take effect and reveal her treachery. Masaoka exacts revenge on the plotters, killing Lady Yashio and stealing a scroll which lists everyone involved in the coup."
Quoted from an entry at Scholten Japanese Art.
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The print in the Lyon Collection has the signature in the upper right corner. The one at Waseda University is along the center right edge. The publisher's seal is in the same location in both - the lower left edge. We cannot account for the differences.
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If you enlarge the image of this print sufficiently you will notice that there is a special piece of dark purple cloth attached to the front of the actor's wig. This is referred to as a Murasaki boshi. Murasaki means purple.
This is "A silk cloth worn by an onnagata at the top of the forehead where the shaved forelocks would have been. Often the cloth is purple, but not always. Cautionary note: Not all onnagata are portrayed on prints wearing this cloth."
modern prints (shin hanga - 新版画) (genre)
actor prints (yakusha-e - 役者絵) (genre)
Nakamura Utaemon V (五代目中村歌右衛門) (actor)
Shōwa era (昭和時代) (genre)
Meiboku Sendai Hagi (伽藍先代萩) (author)