Accession Number
2003/1.469

Title
New Satsuma Style Made to Order: Iwai Kumesaburō III as Geisha Koman and Kataoka Gadō II as Satsuma Gengobei

Artist(s)
Utagawa Kunisada

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1856

Medium & Support
woodblock print on paper

Dimensions
13 15/16 in x 9 5/8 in (35.4 cm x 24.5 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Dr. James Hayes

Label copy
Gallery Rotation Fall 2013
Utagawa Toyokuni III (Kunisada)
Japan, 1786–1864
Actors As the Geisha Koman and Satsuma Gengobei
Edo period (1615–1868)
1856
Color woodblock print on paper
Gift of Dr. James Hayes, 2003/1.469

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.

Kataoka Gadō II also held the name Kataoka Nizaemon IX. He was born in 1839 and active from 1851 until shortly before his death in 1872. He was known for his roles in jidaimono (period plays) as well as sewamono (contemporary plays). He specialized in both tachiyaku (lead protagonist) and onnagata roles.
 

Physical Description
A man and a woman gaze at eachother at the center of this print. The woman’s hair is decorated with large pins, and she wears an elegant blue robe with white flowers. She holds a koto on her lap and a writing brush in her right hand. On the back of the koto are the characters go dai riki. The man holds a pipe in his hand and sits with his back against her legs. He wears a black robe with white hatches.

Inscriptions: Geisha Koman; Satsuma Gengobei; Toyokuni ga (Artist's signature); To, Asakusa, Namiki, Daitora han (Publisher's seal); aratame, tatsu 6 (Censor's seal)
 

Primary Object Classification
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
courtesans
fans (costume accessories)
pipes (smoking equipment)
shamisen
theater (discipline)