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Asian Art Friends,

I need a little help with a Japanese woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada, printed in 1857. I can't find it with an image search. I think it is a genji print because of the symbols on the cloth at the center of the diptych. However, I can't match the symbol to any of the genji-mon in the 3rd picture. (Do some of the chapters of the Genji have an alternative genji-mon?

I hope that if someone translates the cartouches in the corners (see the second picture), it will provide a clue to the print's subject and what is happening in it. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Right side (top),
けいせゐ宮城野　Keisei Miyagino　-　Courtesan Miyagino
Left side (top)
大こく屋惣六　Daikokuya Sōroku
Left side (bottom)
妹おのぶ　Imōto O-nobu - Younger sister O-nobu

Kabuki play: Go Taiheiki Shiraishi-banashi

Alternative kanas are represented in their modern forms.

With regards,
I.Nagy

Hi, Stan,
it's a kabuki scene from "Oku dōsha musume sugegasa", performed at the Nakamura-za.
The actor left is Nakamura Tsuruzō I as Daikokuya Soroku (大こく屋惣六).
The girl is imōto Shinobu (妹しのぶ) [actor unidentified].
The lady is keisei Miyagino (けいせい宮城野) staged by Sawamura Tosshō II.
Compare Waseda 201-4737 and 201-4738.

Stan,

I suggest the play

Oku dōsha musume sugegasa 陸奥群客娘菅笠, performed at the Nakamura-za, 1857/07

actors and roles are

? Yujiro Sawamura ? or
(坂東三津五郎 Bando Mitsugoro VI)
妹おのぶ Imōto o Nobu

[1]中村鶴蔵 Nakamura Tsuruzō I
大黒屋惣六 Daikokuya Sōroku

[2]沢村訥升 Sawamura Tosshō II
けゐせい宮城野 keisei Miyagino

I think the scene corresponds to
Act VII: Ageya
In the House of assignation
see resume of GO TAIHEIKI SHIRAISHI BANASHI https://share.google/zB4sqBwFrZa9dTTUs

The ARC has a similar diptych by Toyokuni III
https://www.dh-jac.net/db/nishikie/results-big.php?f9[]=%2A&f11[]=1&f42[]=%E9%99%B8%E5%A5%A5%E7%BE%A4%E5%AE%A2%E5%A8%98%E8%8F%85%E7%AC%A0&-max=50&singleskip=0&enter=portal&lang=en&skip=0

The actor in the role of Imōto oNobu is identified as Yujiro Sawamura but somehow I have doubts... facial recognition tells me it might be Bando Mitsugoro VI
https://share.google/WxcIrOMUPrVK222sx

All,

Thank you for your kind help. I was going down the wrong road trying to identify the print. I really like the print, and it is in nice shape.

I bought 9 more prints last week. I'm still working through them.

Cheers,
Stan

I can almost always help with Kunisada prints. :-)
Thanks for your great project!

Dear Horst,

Again, thanks for your help. You must be confusing me with someone else. I have no great project. I have a personal collection of over 500 prints. Technically, an accumulation. A collection suggests a plan or goal for collecting. I buy all the prints I can find and afford. Here's a Kunisada from the last 9 prints I just bought. This one I can find online for identification.

Cheers,
Stan

Iwai Hanshirō VII as [Tsuchiya] Umegawa. MFA 11.29405, 11.43212, 59.1147.98.

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