Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy

Size: 40.0cm by 27.0cm (15.75 in by 10.63 in) | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [L] ?

Designer: Utagawa Toyokuni

Era: Pre-war | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: ¥ 10,000$ 73.00£ 59.50€ 69.25 [Item has been sold]

Description: This print is included in a set of 50 prints called "Ukiyo Ekagami," a collection of various artists and genres, which was probably a reproduction in the pre-war period.

It depicts a scene of the play "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami" (Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy) by Takeda Izumo II, Miyoshi Shoraku, and Namiki Senryu, performed at the Miyako-za in 1796. The two figures are the kabuki actors Nakamura Noshio II as Sakuramaru, clutching his sword handle, and Iwai Kumesaburo I as his wife Yae. Sukemaru looks determined because it is the fateful scene, Act III, scene 2, "Satamra ga no iwai" (The Birthday Celebrations at Sata Village), in which he eventually commits seppuku (disembowelment) to atone for his part in Lord Sugawara’s downfall.

There are a few slight foxing spots, some small chiri (mulberry bark scraps), and some marks on this print. Also, a small part of the bottom edge is folded over.

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