Actors Ichikawa Daijurou , Kataoka Gadou and Ichikawa Rinko as Masaoka,Arajishi otokono suke and Tsuruchiyo

Description

Original woodblock print vertical diptych – Toyohara Yoshu Chikanobu (1838-1912)  -”Mei boku-saki daihagi”伽羅先代萩  Japan – 1885(meiji10 period)

Actors

Masaoka 政岡: Ichikawa Danjurou 市川團十郎

Yakko shiba e i 荒獅子男之助:  Kataoka Gadou片岡我童

Tsuruchiyo 鶴千代: Ichikawa Rinko 市川林子

There are cuts and holes where plums are drawn.
This ukiyo-e is made of three pieces and glued together as one piece.
Also, since it is old, it has a rounded shape.

Toyohara Chikanobu (豊原周延), better known to his contemporaries as Yōshū Chikanobu (楊洲周延), was a prolific woodblock artist of Japan’s Meiji period.
Chikanobu signed his artwork “Yōshū Chikanobu”(楊洲周延). This was his “art name”. The artist’s “real name” was Hashimoto Naoyoshi (橋本直義); and it was published in his obituary.
Many of his earliest works were signed “studio of Yōshū Chikanobu” (楊洲齋周延) Yōshū-sai Chikanobu; a small number of his early creations were simply signed “Yōshū” (楊洲). At least one triptych from 1879 exists signed “Yōshū Naoyoshi” (楊洲直義).
No works have surfaced that are signed either “Toyohara Chikanobu” or “Hashimoto Chikanobu”.

This work was influenced by the teachings of his teacher, Toyohara kunichika(豊原国周),　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　In particular, the actor’s face and background are drawn similar to Kunichi’s style.