Ichikawa Omezō as a Pilgrim and Ichikawa Yaozō as a Samurai (Toyokuni I)

Toyokuni and kabuki

Utagawa Toyokuni (歌川豐國), also known as Toyokuni I, was the second head of the Utagawa school, and one of the most influential print-makers of the Edo period. From early adolescence, he apprenticed with Utagawa Toyoharu, studying the style of his mentor, as well as those of Chōbunsai Eishi, Utamaro and Eishōsai Chōki.

Although his initial attempts met with failure, Toyokuni achieved commercial success in 1786 with illustrations for the kibyōshi novelette Tsugamonai hanashi no oyadama (無束話親玉). He soon discovered his niches: bijinga and, more significantly, yakusha-e. Between 1794 and 1796, he created a series of prints entitled Yakusha butai no sugata-e ("Portraits of Actors in Various Roles" - 役者舞台の姿絵), which earned him "rapid recognition," and "marked the peak of his creative work." Toyokuni befriended prominent actors, and the "overwhelming majority" of his prints relate to kabuki.

Toyokuni's style is admired for its "powerful and vivid lines," "striking color contrasts," "decorative bombast," and "bold, taut designs." He is credited with the innovation of polytych formats, and with training many prominent pupils, including future masters Kunisada and Kuniyoshi.

Toyokuni is often compared with Sharaku, an artist active during 1794 who specialized in yakusha-e. While Sharaku favoured an exaggerated, stylized approach, Toyokuni’s depictions are more realistic, capturing actors "as they appear on stage" and idealizing them. His kabuki-e were more popular with contemporary audiences than those of his rival; however, modern critics tend to credit Sharaku with greater artistic acuity.

Toyokuni was highly prolific, and, by 1800, the Utagawa school had supplanted the Katsukawa as the major producers of kabuki-e. His success appears to have come at a price, however, as the consensus is that the quality of his later work "shows a marked decline," and even "degenerated frequently into sheer grotesquerie." Some also contend Toyokuni's talent was "predominantly imitative," more the product of study than "intuitive genius."

Genre

An image of two actors posing as characters from a play, this print belongs to the kabuki-e (歌舞伎絵) genre, also known as shibai-e (芝居絵), gekijou-e (劇場絵), gekiga (劇画). Literally 'kabuki pictures', kabuki-e began to be produced in the late 17th century. As kabuki grew in popularity, audiences became increasingly interested in the actors. The emergence of star actors led to yakusha-e (役者絵), a subgenre of kabuki-e in which actors were depicted individually or, as in this print, in pairs. These images appeared as single-sheet prints or in books of actor prints called yakusha ehon (役者絵本).

Image

In this print, Toyokuni depicts a tableau of two of the most popular kabuki actors of the day in a scene from an unidentified play. The character in the foreground is a samurai. He wears waraji straw sandals, a casual black eboshi cap, and a two-piece kamishimo under a black haori coat. The handles of his two swords peak out behind him on the left, the customary position. His red kumadori makeup is typical of main characters, signifying "bravado and a forceful personality." Hanging down over his right knee is a handful of wheat or rice stalks, which are presumably an element of the drama.

The standing figure is in typical pilgrim or travelling priest garb: waraji, a grey robe, and light-coloured leggings and arm covers. In addition, he wears a gong around his waist and carries a shakujō (錫杖) pilgrim's staff. Behind him, the body and straps of a portable shrine are just visible. Heroes and their foes disguising themselves as pilgrims is a popular kabuki motif. The character's aggressive pose—right arm removed from his robe, menacing facial expression—indicates that he is likely not a benign pilgrim.

Play

Beyond the names of two of the actors involved, there is very little in this print to identify the play it documents. Although some kabuki-e and yakusha-e include character or play names, this print offers neither. In addition, having no date stamp or censor seal makes it difficult to identify the play by date.

Records of Edo period kabuki reveal that early in 1798 Yaozō and Omezō appeared together in the play "Tomioka koi no yamabiraki" (also known as "Ninin Shimbei"). Extant images by Toyokuni known to be from this performance—including one featuring Yaozō—however, are very different in style and format from the ROM's print.

In 1803, Yaozō is known to have appeared in Yoshitsune Sembon Zakura, a drama featuring priest and monk characters. As the cast list has been lost, it is unknown whether Omezō also appeared. One Toyokuni print of Yaozō from this play is done in a similar style as the ROM's print, however, the costume is quite different.

Ichikawa Yaozō III

Both the name cartouche in the upper left-hand corner and the kaemon (替紋) personal crest appearing on the kimono arms of the crouching figure in the foreground identify him as Ichikawa Yaozō III (市川八百蔵) (1747–1818). Yaozō, whose professional debut was in 1760, came from a family of kabuki performers. He trained with two very different masters: celebrated onnagata (female role actor) Segawa Kikunojō II, and aragoto ('rough style') master Ichikawa Danjūrō V. He was particularly admired for his performance of wajitsu (calm, clever male hero) roles, and for his portrayal of young women. He appears in several prints by Toyokuni, as well as in prints by Katsukawa Shunkō, Katsukawa Shun'ei and Sharaku.

Ichikawa Omezō I

According to the name cartouche, the standing figure is Ichikawa Omezō I (市川男女蔵) (1781-1833), the first actor in a line of 6 generations continuing to the present day. He specialized in dramatic male tachiyaku (立役) and in jitsuaku (実悪) evil warrior roles. Not surprisingly, given his stature as a kabuki star, he was a popular subject for Toyokuni. One of his most famous portraits is Toyokuni's of him in the famous drama Shibaraku

Date

The ROM labels the print as c. 1801. Although the print has no discernible date or censor seals, Several factors indicate that the print most likely dates to between 1800 and 1804:

Provenance

The print was donated to the ROM by Sir Edmund Walker (1848–1924), long-time president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce and first Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the ROM. Walker began collecting Japanese art in the 1870s, making him one of the earliest North American collectors. He bought many pieces in New York in the 1870s and '80s, and during a trip to London in 1909. In 1919, after travelling to Japan, China and Korea, he was named Honorary Consul-General of Japan for Toronto.

Print details