Ichikawa Danjūrō VII in a Shibaraku Role Confronting the Catfish Priest

Signature: Signature:
(right image) Kunisada ga 国貞画 drawn by Kunisada), with artist’s hand drawn seal (kaō)
(left image) Hokuju ga 北壽画 (drawn by Hokuju), with artist’s seal, unread

Inscription: 親はまつ　おいて芝居の　羅漢台　女郎に似たかほ　藝者ににたかほ　
狂歌佛頭陀丸 [=雲水舎頭陀丸]

Oya wa mazu / oite shibai no / rakandai / jorō nita kao / geisha ni nita kao

Behind the stage,
in the “disciples seats,”
I think I recognize
the faces of courtesans
and geisha. I once knew.
—Kyōkabutsu Zudamaru

市川の　水を慕へは　なか〳〵に　鯰か鬚の塵やとるらん
[芍薬亭]長根

Ichikawa no / mizu o shitaeba / naganaga ni / Namazu ga hige no / chiri ya toruran

With special fondness
for the Ichikawa lineage,
we flatter the Catfish Monk,
while dusting off
his long side-whiskers.
—[Shakuyakutei] Nagane

(Translated by John T. Carpenter)

Notes: The rakandai (literally, “disciples seats”), referred to in Zudamaru’s poem, refers to the theater seats that were located behind stage right, meaning that the spectators there can only see the actors from behind. Yet, it meant that they also had a privileged view of the backstage area, which for Kabuki fans was an added pleasure. Rakandai were the cheapest seats in the house, and were not available unless regular seating areas sold out. The name rakandai came from the appearance of the seats filled with guests, since it resembled the display of the Gohyaku Rakan, the Five Hundred Disciples of the Buddha, at the temple Ten’onzan Gohyaku Rakanji in Edo. The poem is no doubt punning on the folk belief of the time that one can often see a face that resembles someone you know among the five hundred rakan.

Private collection , Tokyo, until 2009; [ Masaharu Nagano , Tokyo, 2009; sold to Izzard]; Sebstian and Miki Izzard , New York, 2009–21; donated to MMA

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Japan: A History of Style," March 8, 2021–April 24, 2022.