Comments - Handsome scene from a kabuki play commonly known as "Izayoi Seishin." After his love affair with the geisha Izayoi was discovered, the priest Seishin was banished. The pair decided to commit suicide together by drowning, but neither succeeded. Here, the poet Hakuren and the fisherman Yotsudeami no Gon have rescued Izayoi, pulling her from the water with a fishing net. Gon takes her by the arm to help her aboard their boat, regarding her solemnly as Hakuren works the pulley for the net. At right, Seishin clings to a piling near the shore, an angry frown on his face as he looks up, his once-shaved hair growing out atop his head. Undulating waves lap at his legs, with a gray evening sky overhead. From left, the actors are Kawarazaki Gonjuro I as Yotsudeami no Gon, Iwai Kumesaburo III as Shinzo Izayoi, Seki Sanjuro III as Tsukioka Hakuren, and Ichikawa Kodanji IV as Gokuraku shoke Seishin. A great design with fine shading in the water and sky, and wonderful detail in the net and straw tunic worn by the fisherman. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts has this image in its collection.

Artist - Toyokuni III/Kunisada (1786 - 1864)

Image Size - 14 3/8" x 29 1/4"

Condition - With excellent color and detail. Three panels, not attached the seams. A couple losses and areas of thinning along edges with a few small holes in subject, all repaired from reverse. Faint vertical creasing and fading at edges with minor spotting in subject. Please see photos for details. Nice overall.