Utagawa Kunisada 歌川 国貞 (Toyokuni III)

Onoe Kikugoro in the role of the ghost Kasane (尾上菊五郎 かさねゆうこん Onoe Kikugoro: Kasane yūkon)

Maker

Utagawa Kunisada 歌川 国貞 (Toyokuni III) (1786-1865, b. in Edo, Japan)
Izumiya Ichibei 和泉屋市兵衛 (Japanese, ca. 1686–1886 in Edo, Japan), publisher

Title

Onoe Kikugoro in the role of the ghost Kasane (尾上菊五郎 かさねゆうこん Onoe Kikugoro: Kasane yūkon)

Period

Edo Period

Year

1838

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink and color

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan

Dimensions

Vertical ōban: 39.2 x 27 cm (15 7/16 x 10 5/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: Gototei Kunisada ga

Seals: Publisher's seal | Senichi;censor's seal | kiwame

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

1987.043.1

Type

Exhibition History

Defying Boundaries
Women in Japanese Art
Apr 27, 2024 – Nov 04, 2024

Label copy

In this print by Utagawa Kunisada, the ghost Kasane emerges from a trailing white wisp, cradling a child in her arms. Born disfigured and later murdered by her lover, Kasane returned as a vengeful spirit to curse those who betrayed her. Her tale was famous during the Edo period (1615–1858), when it became the subject of theater and prints. The text here describes a performance by Onoe Kikugorō III (1784–1849), the male actor who played the role of Kasane in a famous Kabuki play in the 1830s.

19th-Century Japanese Printmaking, Part I
The Heroic, Bizarre, and Supernatural
Sep 09, 1998 – Dec 06, 1998
A Decade of Collecting (Costume and Textiles)
Jul 17, 1987 – Sep 06, 1987
A Decade of Collecting (Painting and Sculpture; Prints, Drawings, and Photographs)
Jun 26, 1987 – Sep 20, 1987

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Utagawa Kunisada 歌川 国貞 (Toyokuni III) (1786-1865, b. in Edo, Japan)
Izumiya Ichibei 和泉屋市兵衛 (Japanese, ca. 1686–1886 in Edo, Japan), publisher
Onoe Kikugoro in the role of the ghost Kasane (尾上菊五郎 かさねゆうこん Onoe Kikugoro: Kasane yūkon), 1838
Polychrome woodblock print (nishiki-e)
Vertical ōban: 39.2 x 27 cm (15 7/16 x 10 5/8 inches)
Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund 1987.043.1

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