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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.
Click or tap on the blue flames to learn more about the techniques and details that brought these stories to life for their audiences.
The main character of the play, Sakura Sōgo, was crucified as punishment for speaking out against his lord, Lord Horikoshi. After his death, he returns to torment Lord Horikoshi with feverish dreams and visions (Lord Horikoshi is wearing a yamai hachimaki, a thin purple headband worn in kabuki to signify physical or mental illness). Behind Lord Horikoshi is a painted folding screen, a traditional painting format in Japan that was used to divide rooms and provide decoration. The screen here is painted with a landscape, but the white tree in the foreground has morphed into a ghostly human figure, seeming to creep toward Lord Horikoshi even from within the painting.
Return to objectUtagawa Kuniyoshi was famous for his depictions of heroic warriors and grotesque monsters. Here he has signed the print with one of his more common signatures, “Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga,” or “Drawn by Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi.” This print commemorates the hit play A Storybook of Cherry Blossoms in the Eastern Hills of Kyoto (Higashiyama sakura no sōshi), which debuted at the Nakamura theater in Edo in the 7th month of 1851 and ran for 100 consecutive days. Kuniyoshi designed several prints of this play for different publishers, suggesting that publishers realized his talents were perfectly suited to the subject and wanted to cash in on the hype surrounding the play.
Return to objectFrom the end of 1846 until 1852, two government censors known as nanushi were required to approve each print before it could be published. There were eight nanushi in total. These are the seals of Mera Taichirō (right) and Watanabe Gentarō (left).
Return to objectThe government required artists and publishers to include their identifying information on the prints they published. This design is the seal of the Edo-based publisher Enshuya Hikobei (act. ca. 1847–1867).
Return to objectTraditional kabuki is an all-male theatrical form, with specialist actors known as onnagata performing female roles. The government required that all actors shave the front part of their head, a rite of passage for Edo-period men that indicated they were adults. This bald patch was considered unattractive and unfeminine, so onnagata wore a purple cap (murasaki bōshi) to hide it. This cap can also be used to identify onnagata in woodblock prints.
Return to objectThe play is based on a farmers’ revolt that occurred in Shimōsa province (now occupying territory in modern-day Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures) during the 1640s. At the time the play was first performed over 200 years later, Japan was shaken by famine, which was attributed to poor government. With peasant uprisings occurring once more, the events depicted in the play were perceived as being critical of the present government as well. Some publishers were careful in how they marketed these prints so that they would not draw undue attention from the government. This print is marked with a long oval seal reading shita-uri, or “under sale,” which seems to have meant that such prints were sold “under the counter” and were not advertised prominently in the publisher’s store.
Return to objectSakura Sōgo is depicted with blue skin, and the actor playing Sōgo’s character onstage would have been wearing blue stage makeup to indicate his spectral status. In this scene, he appears out of a trapdoor in the stage into Lord Horikoshi’s bed, suggesting that even in sleep, the wicked lord will never again know rest.
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