Scene from the play "Higashiyama sakura no sōshi," at the Nakamura Theater

Object Details

• Artist

  Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳 (1798-1861)

• Publisher

  Enshuya Hikobei 遠州屋彦兵衛 (active ca. 1847-1867)

• Label

  This play is based on a real man named Sakura Sōgo. After his lord taxed his village into starvation, Sōgo went directly to the shogun to beg for help, knowing he would be executed for his insubordination. His ghost returned to torment his wicked lord as revenge for his own death and those of his wife and children, who were also executed as punishment. As this was a politically sensitive story, the characters’ names were changed for the kabuki version to avoid government censorship. The name of the real Lord Hotta Masanobu (1631–1680) was changed to “Lord Horikoshi” or “Orikoshi,” and Sakura Sōgo was changed to “Asakura Tōgo.” However, the references were still quite obvious, so some publishers were also careful in how they marketed these prints. This print is marked with an oval seal reading shita-uri, or “under sale,” which suggests it was sold discreetly and was not prominently advertised.

• 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

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• 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, 1850s, 1680s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Enshuya, Hikobei, Utagawa, Kuniyoshi

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Theater, Art, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, The Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz Collection

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints