ICHIKAWA SADANJI I AS AKIYAMA KII-NO-KAMI
The actor Ichikawa Sadanji I poses dramatically against a wall of flames in a scene from the historical play The Kōshū War Strategy and the Takeda Clan Preparing for Battle. He holds a short sword by the blade, indicating that he intends to die by suicide rather than be taken alive by the enemy.
The dramatic composition of this print recreates the tension of a kabuki play. Fire was a frequent threat in daily life in nineteenth-century Japan. Lead oxide in the pigment gives the illusion of smoky flames, and glittering mica on the sword blade shows the attention paid to printing.
Object Number
S2003.8.2719a–c
Date
May 1, 1894, Meiji era
Artist
Toyohara Kunichika 豊原国周
(1835–1900)
Place of Origin
Japan
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H × W (image): 36 × 71.9 cm
(14 3/16 × 28 5/16 in.)
Credit line
Robert O. Muller Collection