Antique Japanese Woodblock Diptych Print by Kunisada II – INAZUMA ZÔSHI c. He was a pupil of Kunisada, married his daughter, and inherited his art house. He mainly worked in the same manner as his teacher, creating portraits of warriors, scenes from Kabuki theater plays, and portraits of beauties in the genre of bijin-ga. This print is a diptych – a two-sheet print. It depicts two people on the left sheet: a man who appears intimidating and a woman who raises her hands to calm him down. There is a man on the right sheet who is pulling her kimono. The title tells us that the woman is actually a Kabuki actor Bando Mitsugoro, playing the role of koshimoto Iwahashi. Iwahashi was a lady in waiting (koshimoto) for the wife of a daikyo from the Kabuki play “Ukiyozuka Hiyoku no Inazuma (The Floating World’s Pattern and Matching Lightening Bolts)”. She came to the Hasedera Temple in Kamakura, accompanied by yakko Hachinai (man on the left). The man on the right sheet is Fuwa Banzaemon – the main villain of the play. He is trying to capture Iwahashi, but Hachinai helps her to escape. The print was made using the Japanese woodblock technique in the 1860s during Kunisada’s lifetime. Signed with Kunisada II’s signature (Kunisada hitsu) and stamped with the publisher’s seal of Daikokuyo Kenzaburo, 1860s AUTHOR: Utagawa Kunisada II (Toyokuni IV) PUBLISHER: Daikokuyo Kenzaburo CREATED: 1865 TITLE: Scene from Imazuma Zoshi PAPER. Paper METHOD OF PRINTING: Woodblock printing PRINTED: Lifetime printing circa early 1860s PRINT SIZE: 14″ X 9.3″. The condition is very good. Great detailed impression, bright colors, some very minimal toning, and soiling of the paper. Get images that make Supersized seem small. Track Page Views With.
