Seki Sanjūrō II as Kamiya Niemon and Onoe Kikugorō III from Kamigata (Kudari) as the Lantern Ghost, Applauded throughout the Three Cities (Sanganotsu gohyōban no chōchin no yūrei) 「神谷仁右衛門　関三十郎」　「三ヶの津御評判のちやうちんのゆうれゐ　下り尾上菊五郎」　「当秋狂言大入叶　俗名お岩大評判」

Object Details

• Artist

  Utagawa Kunisada 歌川国貞 (1786-1865)

• Publisher

  Moritaya Hanzo 森田屋半蔵 (active early 19th century)

• Label

  The final location in the play Ghost Story of Yotsuya on the Tōkaidō is the Snake Mountain Hermitage, an isolated religious retreat where Iemon flees after the deaths of his victims, Oiwa, Kohei, Oume, and Kihei. Iemon is ill for several months—not safe from Oiwa even in his dreams, as she torments him and makes him sick. This diptych shows the most well-known effect in the play, the so-called chōchin nuke, or “escape from a lantern,” technique. Kunisada was famous for his depictions of actor likenesses, and this rendition shows a closer approximation of the actors’ features, which would have been appreciated by devoted fans.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Staging the Supernatural: Ghosts and the Theater in Japanese Prints (March 23 to October 6, 2024)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  The Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz Collection

• Type

  Print

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Moritaya, Hanzo, Utagawa, Kunisada

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Theater, Oiwa, Lantern, Art, Actors and actresses, Ghost, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, The Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz Collection

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints