Morita Kanya XIV as Kitsune Tadanobu, 1952 - Bold profile portrait of kabuki actor Morita Kanya XIV as the kitsune (fox) Tadanobu in the play "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura." In order to retrieve a drum made from the skin of his parents, a magic fox transforms himself into Yoshitsune's loyal samurai Tadanobu. Yoshitsune had given the drum to his mistress, Shizuka gozen, so the fox takes the place of Tadanobu as he accompanies the beauty on a journey to rejoin Yoshitsune. Here, he looks down with a rather haughty expression, his back turned to the viewer, a folding fan in hand. His black hair is carefully styled, combed back in waves with a few short locks artfully placed and the rest pulled up into a thick topknot tied with embossed white cord. The large red and white pattern of the kimono adds dramatic impact to the scene, contrasting nicely with the soft swirling gray background. A dynamic and powerful image. The original print of this subject was published in oban size by Watanabe in 1952. This smaller reprint was also published by Watanabe, and features a "Heisei" seal in red in the lower right margin, in use from 1989 (the start of the Heisei era) onwards. A rarely seen reprint and a great opportunity to collect a bold Shunsen portrait at a fraction of the cost of an original.

Artist - Natori Shunsen (1886 - 1960)

Image Size - 10 1/2" x 6 7/8" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Faint toning, a few small spots. Please see photos for details. Nice overall.