• Onoe Kikugorō III (尾上菊五郎) as Satō Yomoshichi (与茂七) on the left and Oiwa (お岩ぼふこん) on the right and Seki Sanjūrō II (関三十郎) as Tamiya Iemon (伊右衛門) also on  the right
Onoe Kikugorō III (尾上菊五郎) as Satō Yomoshichi (与茂七) on the left and Oiwa (お岩ぼふこん) on the right and Seki Sanjūrō II (関三十郎) as Tamiya Iemon (伊右衛門) also on  the right
Onoe Kikugorō III (尾上菊五郎) as Satō Yomoshichi (与茂七) on the left and Oiwa (お岩ぼふこん) on the right and Seki Sanjūrō II (関三十郎) as Tamiya Iemon (伊右衛門) also on  the right
Onoe Kikugorō III (尾上菊五郎) as Satō Yomoshichi (与茂七) on the left and Oiwa (お岩ぼふこん) on the right and Seki Sanjūrō II (関三十郎) as Tamiya Iemon (伊右衛門) also on  the right

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) (artist 01/01/1797 – 04/14/1861)

Onoe Kikugorō III (尾上菊五郎) as Satō Yomoshichi (与茂七) on the left and Oiwa (お岩ぼふこん) on the right and Seki Sanjūrō II (関三十郎) as Tamiya Iemon (伊右衛門) also on the right

Print


08/1831
19.25 in x 14.625 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga
一勇斎国芳画
Publisher: Kawaguchiya Chōzō
(Marks 230 - seal 21-202)
Censor's seal: kiwame
Lyon Collection - four panels by Kuniyoshi related to this theme
Lyon Collection - Kuniyoshi triptych based on this same theme
Hankyu Culture Foundation - right panel
Hankyu Culture Foundation - left panel This scene commemorates a performance of the play Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan (東海道四谷怪談). Here Onoe Kikugorō III is portrayed as both Oiwa's husband and as the hideously deformed ghost of his departed wife.

****

In Edo Kabuki in Transition: From the Worlds of the Samurai to the Vengeful Female Ghost by Satoko Shimazaki there is a wonderful description of the multiple roles Onoe Kikugorō III performed in a single play. There is also an reference to the use of one on the figures in the Chūshingura as the husband of Oiwa.

"Of course, at the same time that Nanboku was alluding to Kikugorō III's distinguished acting lineage, he also was presenting Kikugorō's own talent as a multiple-role actor and exploiting it to the fullest. In addition to playing Oiwa and Kohei, Kikugorō took on a third role as Satō Yomoshichi, a loyal retainer of Lord En'ya who ultimately kills Iemon. The actor critique A Beaded String of All the Best Actors: Osaka (Yakusha tamazukushi Ōsaka, 1826) gave a rave review to Kikugorō's performance, praising his ability to switch rapidly from one role to another: “Kikugorō did a fantastic job with Satō Yomoshichi, Oiwa's ghost, and Kohei. The horrifying scenes were even more exquisite than those of his father, creating effects so scary it made one's hair stand on end."
Yūrei-zu (幽霊図 - ghosts demons monsters and spirits) (genre)
actor prints (yakusha-e - 役者絵) (genre)
Onoe Kikugorō III (三代目尾上菊五郎: 11/1815-3/1848) (actor)
Seki Sanjūrō II (二代目関三十郎: 11/1807-2/1839) (actor)
Kawaguchiya Chōzō (川口屋長蔵) (publisher)
Oiwa (お岩) (role)
Chūshingura (忠臣蔵 - 47 rōnin) (genre)
Tsuruya Nanboku IV (四代目鶴屋南北) (author)