Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) / Toyokuni III (三代豊国) (artist 1786 – 01/12/1865)
Iwai Kumesaburō III (岩井粂三郎) as Hisakata-hime (久方姫), Arashi Kichisaburō III (嵐吉三郎) as Kimura Tatewaki (木村帯刀) on the right; Nakamura Tomijūrō II (中村富十郎) as Sangoku no Tayū (三国太夫) in the center; Nakamura Nakasuke II (中村仲助) as Kongōtarō (金剛太郎), Onoe Kikujirō II (尾上菊次郎) as the woman pilgrim Akitsuki (女六部秋月) on the left
07/1853
28.75 in x 13.75 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Toyokuni ga (豊国画)
Publisher: Ebisuya Shōshichi
(Marks 039 - seal 26-007)
Date seal: 7/1853
Censors' seals: Watanabe, Mera, Ox 7
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Waseda University - right panel
Waseda University - center panel
Waseda University - left panel
Achenbach Foundation
Hankyu Culture Foundation - right panel
Hankyu Culture Foundation - center panel
Hankyu Culture Foundation - left panel
Kabuki21 - biographical material about Sakurada Jisuke III, the playwright
Östasiatiska museet, Stockholm - the center panel only These are characters from the play Kana Kyōdai Musume no Adauchi (仮名㚾娣娘復讐) performed at the Ichimura-za in 7/1853.
We know that a character named Uesugi Hisakata-hime appeared in Osaka in a performance in 2/1782 of the play Keisei Kogane no Shachihoko (けいせい黄金鯱) or 'Courtesans and the Gold Shachihoko'. However, we may be able to trace this play back to as early as the fall of 1722.
The character of Hisakata-hime appears in a Yoshitaki triptych from 1/1868, but there the play is Keisei hana no shiranami.
Our frustration in trying to identify the figures in this triptych is great. We know their names, but know next to nothing about their background stories nor their relationships, one to the other. But we will continue to dig deeply and in time we hope something will be revealed to us.
One of the major problems in doing research on prints based on kabuki themes is that often the plays and the characters are lost to us today. Besides that, it is possible that this grouping represents a fanciful alignment of casts that never acted together, even though the staff at the Museum of Fine Arts have given us the title of the play itself.
What we do know is that from the title of the play the word 'adauchi' represents 'revenge' and most likely that of female, sister samurai. As best we can tell the play was written by Sakurada Jisuke III (三代目桜田治助: 1802-77) in collaboration with others. (JSV)
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The figure of Sangoku no Tayū (三国太夫) in the center as the spirit of the earth spider is interesting since Sangoku no Tayū translates as 'a tayū (or high-classed courtesan) of the Three Kingdoms', a reference to a tale from ancient China. (JSV)
Ebisuya Shōshichi (恵比寿屋庄七) (publisher)
Arashi Kichisaburō III (三代目嵐吉三郎 - from 1/1821 to 9/28/1864) (actor)
Nakamura Tomijūrō II (二代目中村富十郎: 1/1833 to 2/1855) (actor)
Onoe Kikujirō II (二代目尾上菊次郎: 11/1835 to 12/1856 and 1858 to June 1875) (actor)
actor prints (yakusha-e - 役者絵) (genre)
Iwai Kumesaburō III (三代目岩井粂三郎: from 11/1832 to 1/1864) (actor)
Nakamura Nakasuke II (二代目中村仲助) (actor)