Comments - Terrific, incredibly rare, complete ten-panel kabuki scene of actors portraying characters from a variety of different plays. They are shown seeking shelter from the rain under an ancient pine tree, the trunk surrounded with a wooden railing and the branches held up with rustic wooden supports. Two itinerant musicians wait in front of the railing, a beauty holding a shamisen with the body protectively wrapped in green print cloth, smiling sweetly as she looks over her shoulder. The man sitting behind her has a drum strapped to his chest, and he grins back up at her. Just to her left, a monkey trainer carries a branch decorated with lucky symbols for the holiday, the monkey peering over his shoulder. In the third panel from the left, three men are identically dressed in delicately embossed white robes with yellow cloths wrapped about their heads. One carries a large umbrella trimmed with tie-dyed cloth ruffles. In the far right panel, a beauty dressed for a festival carries a blossoming plum with letters tied to it. Two young boys standing near her have red robes draped over their heads.

The panels are numbered 1-10 starting from the left, and include the following actors.
Panel 2: Nakamura Aizo I (?), Asao Yoroku II, Onoe Kikugoro IV, Nakamura Shibajaku I
Panel 4: Sawamura Tossho II, Nakamura Tsuruzo I, and Kawarazaki Gonjuro I
Panel 5: Arashi Kichisaburo III, Asao Okuyama III, Ichikawa Hirogoro I, Nakamura Daikichi III
Panel 6: Ichikawa Kodanji IV, Iwai Kumesaburo III, Bando Hikosaburo IV

An extremely rare and wonderful design with attractively detailed, expressive figures and soft shading in the background. We've seen panels from this design before, but never the complete ten-panel set. The only complete ten-panel print we are aware of is in the collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. A fantastic opportunity to collect an incredible kabuki composition, sure to be a centerpiece of any ukiyo-e collection.

Artist - Toyokuni III/Kunisada (1786 - 1864)

Image Size - 14" x 97 1/2" + margins as shown

Condition - This item with excellent color and detail as shown. Ten separate panels. Three panels have vertical folds near left edge. A few small holes repaired. A few creases, very slight soiling. Please see photos for details. Nice overall.