Kunisada III Utagawa, Kabuki Play, Kami no Megumi Wago no Torikumi
Title: Kabuki Play, Kami no Megumi Wago no Torikumi
A distinctive clothing accessory of the Edo townsmen was the tenugui, a hand-towel commonly worn around the neck or used as a headband by the tattooed otokodate and firemen. These towels, called mameshibori tenugui, had a blue polka-dot pattern resembling beans (mame). These were also adopted and worn by heroes of the kabuki stage playing the otokodate roles, as seen in this image.
Kunisada III Utagawa
Utagawa Kunisada III was an ukiyo-e printmaker of the Utagawa school, specializing in yakusha-e (pictures of kabuki actors). He began studying under Utagawa Kunisada I at the age of 10, and continued under Kunisada II after their master's death. He originally signed his prints ‘Kunimasa’ or ‘Baido Kunimasa’. About 1889, he began signing his prints ‘Kunisada’, ‘Baido Kunisada’ or ‘Kochoro Kunisada’. By 1892, he was using ‘Hosai’, ‘Kochoro Hosai’, ‘Baido Hosai’, and ‘Utagawa Hosai’.
| Print Format | Triptych |
|---|---|
| Artist | Kunisada III Utagawa |
| Subject | Kabuki Theatre, Tattoo Design |
| Dimensions | (L)35.1 x 23.8 (C)35.1 x 23.9 (R)35.1 x 23.6 cm |
| Condition Report | Small thin areas, pinholes. |
