Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Mimasu Tokujiro and Matsumoto Koshiro

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

Designer: Torii Kiyonaga

Era: Mid Showa | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: ¥ 7,000$ 54.00£ 42.00€ 50.00

  

Description: This print shows a scene from the play "Love's Messenger on the Yamato Road", one of the most popular and famous Japanese plays.

The plot would help to understand the print: Chubei falls in love with the courtesan Umegawa, but in order to ransom the girl from the house where she was serving, he stole some money, got caught, and the couple was forced to elope, and eventually met their deaths. Here we see Chubei standing next to Umegawa, holding a closed umbrella and with his other hand holding a sword hilt. They both look at each other with sadness and fear, as if they know exactly what will happen to them. The weeping cherry branches above them probably symbolize the sadness (weeping) and love (cherry) that coexist in the scene.

The print also shows three musicians sitting on a platform behind the stage. This type of print is called "degatari", which aims to show a much larger view of the stage: Kiyonaga wanted to show the actors accompanied by the narrators and musicians of the play.

slight foxing

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