Portrait of Arashi Kichizaburō III (1810–1864) in the Role of Baiōmaru

Utagawa Kunisada Japanese

Not on view

Kunisada, also known as Toyokuni III after the death of his master, was one of the most popular artists of the first half of the nineteenth century. This print portrays the actor Arashi Kichizaburō III (1810–1868) as a close-up image emerging from a sake cup. Kichizaburō is shown in the role of Baio-maru (Plum Boy) from the play Sugawara's Secrets of Calligraphy.

A poem by Kichizaburō, inscribed in two lines at the left, can be translated as follows:

Spear plums grow strong in the sunshine.

Portrait of Arashi Kichizaburō III (1810–1864) in the Role of Baiōmaru, Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786–1864), Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan

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