Accession Number
2011/2.191.1

Title
Celebratory Soga for the New Year: Azuma Tōzō V as the Maid Otsuru

Artist(s)
Utagawa Kunisada

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1848

Medium & Support
woodblock print on paper

Dimensions
14 3/4 in x 30 in (37.47 cm x 76.2 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Sharlynn and Andrew Circo, in memory of Sotokichi Katsuizumi

Subject matter
Very little is known about actor Azuma Tōzō V, who was also known as Nakamura Shikaku. He was active in kabuki from 1810 until his death in 1843.

This play is one of the many variations of the story of the Soga brothers, one of the most popular revenge stories of the Edo period. The story is based on a late Kamakura period (1185-1333) book, Soga monogatari that tells the tale of two brothers, Jūrō and Gorō, who take revenge for their father on Kudō Suketsune in 1193. The brothers were executed, and it is thought that the story may have been written to pacify their spirits.
 

Physical Description
In this print, a woman holds a branch with leaves.  She wears a purple and white robe and a black sash over several other colorful layers.  A colorful platform is visible on the right part of the print.
 
This is the left panel of a triptych (with 2011/2.191.2 and 2011/2.191.3).
 
Inscriptions: Nakai Otsuru; Toyokuni ga (Artist's signature); Yamaguchi Tōbei (Publisher's seal); Hama and Kinugasa (Censor's seals)

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
bamboo (plant)
maids (servants)
plum (plant)
theater (discipline)
women (female humans)