First Snowfall on the Lovers' Journey to His Hometown: Onoe Kikugorō IV as Tsuchiya Umegawa

Accession Number
2008/2.424.2

Title
First Snowfall on the Lovers' Journey to His Hometown: Onoe Kikugorō IV as Tsuchiya Umegawa

Artist(s)
Utagawa Kunisada

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1854

Medium & Support
woodblock print on paper

Dimensions
15 7/8 in x 21 1/4 in (40.32 cm x 53.98 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Ruth W. and Clarence J. Boldt, Jr.

Subject matter
The Lovers’ Journey stories are based off of the puppy-play Meido no hikyaku, known as Courier for Hell, by Chikamatsu Monzaemon. It is the story of the lovers Chūbei, a courier, and Umekawa, a yūjo from the Shinmachi entertainment district. Chūbei uses his customers’ money to pay off Umekawa’s debt, and the two run away to his home town to escape punishment.  There they die in the mountains. Often, the kabuki play took on a different scenery and title depending on the season in which it was performed.

Onoe Kikugorō IV, who plays the heroine Umekawa, was active from 1831 until 1860, just prior to his death. He was a member of the Onoe line of kabuki actors. The Onoe line is one of the oldest lines of kabuki actors, with more than 250 years of history.

Physical Description
A woman stands in front of sliding screens. Her hair is elaborately done up with long pins, and she wears a green robe with pink and purple flowers. A red and white sash is tied around her waist. She holds a folded up paper in her left hand.

This is the right panel of a diptych (with 2008/2.424.1).

Inscriptions: Tsuchiya Umegawa; Yushima yo (Publisher's seal); aratame, tora 9 (Censor's seal); Toyokuni ga (Artist's signature)

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
theater (discipline)
women (female humans)

& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved