1786-1865
The Glorious Sansho Lineage: Actors Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Fuwa Banzaemon, and VIII as Shinozuka Iga no Kami
(Toshitoshi o iwai no kumiire: nanadaime Fuwa Banzaemon, hachidaime Shinozuka Iga no Kami)
signed Toyokuni ga within the artist's Toshidama cartouche, with censor's seals Mera and Watanabe, publisher's seal at the bottom Akasaka Kichi (Iseya Kanekichi), ca. 1849-1852
oban tate-e 14 5/8 by 10 1/8 in., 37.1 by 25.7 cm
This composition is the left-hand sheet of a triptych devoted to representations of the family line of eight actors which had held the prestigious stage name of Ichikawa Danjuro, who were also popularly known by the poetry name of Sansho. Assembled chronologically from right to left, this last panel features the two actors who were living at the time, Ichikawa Ebizo V (Danjuro VII, 1791-1859), is standing, and his son, Danjuro VIII (1823-1854), is seated wearing the iconic red costume adorned with the massive mimasu ('three rice measure) motif associated with the electrifying 'Shibaraku!' role. Tragically, only a few years later in 1854, Danjuro VIII committed suicide shortly after arriving in Osaka where he was scheduled to perform with his father.
Reference:
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (collections.mfa.org), accession nos. 11.15870-2
(inv. no. C-3718)
price: Sold