Accession Number
2003/1.460.1

Title
Iwai Kumesaburô [III] as Ishii musume Fujikawa (left half of diptych; pair with 2003/1.460.2)

Artist(s)
Utagawa Kunisada

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1832-1844

Medium & Support
woodblock print on paper

Dimensions
13 7/8 in. x 9 3/4 in. ( 35.2 cm x 24.7 cm )

Credit Line
Gift of Dr. James Hayes

Subject matter
Actor Iwai Kumesaburō III, was also known as Iwai Hanshirō VIII. He was born in 1829 and active from the time he was a child in the early 1830s. He became famous for his performances as an onnagata, a word which means "female role" or "female form." He died in 1882.

Physical Description
In this print, a woman squats on the ground, holding a bare sword in her left hand.  Her hair is loose, and she wears a striped robe with a blue patterned sash.  Behind her are low bushes and open water.
 
Inscriptions: Artist’s signature: Kunisada ga; Publisher’s seal: Hei; Censor’s seal: kiwame; Ishii musume Fujikawa, Iwai Kumesaburō
 
This is the left panel of a diptych (with 2003/1.460.2).

Primary Object Classification
Print

Primary Object Type
color print

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
actors
beaches
kabuki
swords
theater (discipline)
women (female humans)