Ichikawa Kodanji as Seppu Shinsuke, Ichikawa Sadanji as Kishino Toshiaki, Ichikawa Danjūrō as Saijō Takamori, Onoe Kikugorō as Kurata Shinpachirō, Nakamura Chūtarō as Shōtarō, Onoe Kikunosuke as Magoichi, and Ichikawa Kōsaku as Tokumaru in the play Okige no kumo harau asa gochi

Toyohara Kunichika Japanese

Not on view

This triptych illustrates a new type of play in the Meiji period, historical dramas (katsureki), which were promoted by Danjuro IX and which took their inspiration from recent events. Illustrated here is the Seinan rebellion against the Meiji government, which occurred in 1877. In this play, Danjuro, in the center, plays Saijo Takamori, a thinly disguised version of Saigo Takamori, who was the leader of the actual rebellion. Kunichika's use of a bright color for the background reflects the intensity of battle.

Ichikawa Kodanji as Seppu Shinsuke, Ichikawa Sadanji as Kishino Toshiaki, Ichikawa Danjūrō as Saijō Takamori, Onoe Kikugorō as Kurata Shinpachirō, Nakamura Chūtarō as Shōtarō, Onoe Kikunosuke as Magoichi, and Ichikawa Kōsaku as Tokumaru in the play Okige no kumo harau asa gochi, Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese, 1835–1900), Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.