Arashi Ryūzō I as Ishibe Kinkichi in the Play "Hana Ayame Bunroku Soga"

Tōshūsai Sharaku Japanese

Not on view

Like the figure to the right, this actor uses his kimono to make an expressive gesture. Unlike the stealthy Uguisu no Jirō saku, however, the swaggering Ishibe Kinkichi grasps his right sleeve with his left hand and pushes it up to bare his forearm and displays his readiness to fight. The eyes of this petty rascal, however, betray cowardice rather than bravery. Ishibe Kinkichi is the proverbial hard-hearted moneylender, and this conventional gesture expresses the cocky bravado of a bully's threat.

Arashi Ryūzō I as Ishibe Kinkichi in the Play "Hana Ayame Bunroku Soga", Tōshūsai Sharaku (Japanese, active 1794–95), Woodblock print; ink, color, white mica on paper, Japan

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