The Actor Ichikawa Hakuen as Saeda Masazaemon

Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
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Period
1830 -
Geography
Japan -
Material
Ink, color and metallic pigments on paper -
Dimension
H x W (overall): 37.6 x 25.6 cm (14 13/16 x 10 1/16 in) -
Accession Number
S2004.3.272 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_S2004.3.272
Object Details
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Artist
Shunkosai Hokushu 春好斎北洲 (fl. ca. 1802-1832) -
Label
Ichikawa Danjuro VII is identified on this print as Ichikawa Hakuen, the name he used while performing in Osaka from 1829 to 1830. This print by the Osaka artist Hokushu represents the Edo actor as the warrior Saeda Masazaemon in the play, Sun, Moon, and Flowers in the Pleasure Quarters (Keisei setsugekka), at the Kado Theater in Osaka. Osaka actor prints often include seventeen-syllable poems known today as haiku (hokku). The actors themselves composed many of these poems. The frequent inclusion of the poems signifies the intimate circles of actors, fans, and poetry clubs that intersected in the Osaka theatrical world. The poem on this print reads:A farewell performance-so what! This spring, it seems,actors, too, get an extra month!Here the actor suggests that if he leaves in spring, he should get an extra chance to perform, since in the lunar calendar, there was an intercalary third month that periodically adjusted for the shorter lunar year.Translation of poem by John T. Carpenter -
Collection
National Museum of Asian Art Collection -
Exhibition History
Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection (September 15, 2002 to January 9, 2003) -
Origin
Japan -
Credit Line
The Anne van Biema Collection -
Type
Print -
Restrictions and Rights
Usage Conditions Apply
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