Accession Number
2011/2.60

Title
The Rat and the Fine Patterned New Spring Fashion: Ichikawa Kodanji IV as Kōzō Disguised as Takashima Beizan, Onoe Kikugorō IV as Courtesan Matsuyama, and an Unidentified Child Actor as Kamuro Midori

Artist(s)
Utagawa Kunisato

Object Creation Date
1857

Medium & Support
woodblock print on paper

Dimensions
14 in x 9 7/16 in (35.5 cm x 24 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Andrew Rosenblum

Subject matter
Actor Ichikawa Kodanji IV was born to a family of kabuki actors in 1812.  He was active in kabuki from 1820 until his death in 1866. He was known for his roles in jidaimono (period plays) and sewamono (contemporary plays) as well as for the techniques of chūnori (acting while suspended from the ceiling) and quick-changes (hayagawari).

Onoe Kikugorō IV 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 actors, with more than 250 years of history.

Physical Description
A man holds an umbrella over a woman and child. The woman kneels on the ground, looking anxiously off to her right. She wears a red striped robe with green or blue edging. The man has bare feet and wears a short blue and white striped robe. The sky is dark, and white flakes or rain appear to fall.

Inscriptions: Takashima Beizan; Matsuyama; Kunisato ga (Artist's signature); Bakuro Yon, Kiyahan (Publisher's seal); aratame, mi 3 (Censors' 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
children (people by age group)
men (male humans)
snow (precipitation)
theater (discipline)
umbrellas
women (female humans)