Utagawa Toyokuni

The performance by Sawamura Sōjūrō III (1753-1801) as Ume no Yoshibei set the standard for subsequent actors playing the role. He debuted it at the Kiri Theater, January 1796, in the play Sumida no haru geisha katagi by Namiki Gohei. The character is an otokodate, a type of street tough glorified on the kabuki stage as a hero of the common people. The blue area on this actor's forehead is exposed skin, a convention used in depicting kabuki actors, who had to shave their heads. This is the left panel of a diptych whose right panel shows Segawa Kikunojo III (1751-1810) as Chokichi.