Image

Okumura Masanobu

Scene from the jōruri play Momochidori musume Dōjōji at Nakamura-za theater, ca. 1744

Description

Maker

Title

Scene from the jōruri play Momochidori musume Dōjōji at Nakamura-za theater

Year

ca. 1744

Medium

Polychrome woodblock print with hand applied color

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Techniques

Supports

Dimensions

Horizontal ōban: 29.5 x 41.8 cm (11 5/8 x 16 7/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

[text and poems]
In the rear on the banner left appears the name of the temple Dōjōji.

Place

Japan; Tokyo

Type

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

20.1056

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Prints for the Japanese New Year

December 17, 2010 - April 17, 2011

This perspective picture (uki-e) is based upon a modified version of the Western system of one-point perspective. It depicts the interior of the Nakamura Theater, one of the most famous and enduring kabuki theaters in Edo (modern Tokyo). The heroine of the play, an angry spirit disguised as a temple dancer (shirabyōshi), is entering from the left on the raised walkway. The monk who has rejected her advances is hiding under the bell, where he will be burned to death after she performs her dance, turns into a serpent, and breathes fire on the bell. The scene is from “Suehiro Soga, a Myriad of Birds: The Maiden of Dōjō Temple,” which is part of the play Sazareishi Hirogenji. This 1744 performance was among the cycle of plays that celebrated the New Year.

Edo Theater

January 18 - May 18, 2008

This is a perspective picture (uki-e) based upon modified application of the Western system of one-point perspective. It depicts the interior of the Nakamura Theater, one of most famous and enduring kabuki theaters of Edo (modern Tokyo). The heroine of the play, an angry spirit disguised as a temple dancer (shirabyōshi), is entering from the left on the raised walkway. The monk who has rejected her advances is hiding under the bell, where he will be immolated after she performs her dance, turns into a serpent, and breathes fire on the bell. The scene is from Suehiro Soga, a Myriad of Birds: The Maiden of Dōjō Temple (Suehiro Soga yonbon tsuzuki momochidori musume Dōjōji), part of the play Sazareishi Hirogenji. This 1744 performance was part of the cycle of plays put on to celebrate the lunar new year.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Scene from the jōruri play Momochidori musume Dōjōji at Nakamura-za theater with the accession number of 20.1056. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.