Onoe Kikugorō III as Oiwa 「尾上菊五郎のおいわ」

Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
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Period
1826, 1st month -
Geography
Japan -
Material
Ink and color on paper -
Dimension
H x W: 36.7 × 24.8 cm (14 7/16 × 9 3/4 in) -
Accession Number
S2021.5.268 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_S2021.5.268
Object Details
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Artist
Shunkosai Hokushu 春好斎北洲 (fl. ca. 1802-1832) -
Block carver
Kasuke Horiko (active 19th century) -
Edition/State
probably second state -
Label
The first performance of the play Ghost Story of Yotsuya on the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan) in Edo in the summer of 1825 caused such a sensation that, just a few months later, the play was already being performed on the other side of the country in Osaka. This print commemorates the Osaka performance and is inscribed with text written by the actor playing the ghost woman Oiwa, Onoe Kikugorō III (1784–1849). First, he acknowledges that his father had pioneered ghost roles:The technique of playing ghosts, developedby my father six years ago, has been wellreceived, and despite it being spring and pastthe appropriate season, it is difficult to refusethe many people who continue to request it.This is followed by a poem reassuring the audience that the terrifying specter of Oiwa will vanish as soon as the play finishes:It doesn’t stay, just melts away, fortunately: spring snow.(Translation by Satoko Shimazaki) -
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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