Comments - Terrific kabuki scene of a young samurai confronting the magical Princess Wakana in front of an enormous spider that she has just conjured up. The beauty looks over her shoulder at him calmly, rolling up a long scroll that contains a magic spell. She wears an elegant white kimono patterned with pine trees over her armor, and her long hair flows loose over her shoulders. He frowns as he eyes the giant creature over his shoulder, its eyes glowing yellow as it clings to a faint web radiating across the dark night sky. A fantastic supernatural design, beautifully detailed with fine line work in the hair and a delicately embossed texture on the white kimono. From left, the actors are Nakamura Shikan IV and Sawamura Tanosuke III. A great subject for a collector interested in classic Japanese tales.

Artist - Toyokuni III/Kunisada (1786 - 1864)

Image Size - 13 3/4" x 18 3/8"

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Two separate panels. Paper remnants on reverse at edges from previous mounting. Small loss at corner, a few holes and thinning spots, repaired. Slight toning and soiling, a few spots and creases. Please see photos for details. Good overall.