Meiji 24: Spring Play at the Kabukiza, 1891

by Kunichika (1835 - 1900)

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Meiji 24: Spring Play at the Kabukiza, 1891 by Kunichika (1835 - 1900)

Original Kunichika (1835 - 1900) Japanese Woodblock Print
Meiji 24: Spring Play at the Kabukiza, 1891

Comments - In Ueno Park, Tokyo in 1890, an Englishman named Percival Spencer ascended 3,500 feet into the air suspended from a hot air balloon, then jumped to the ground with a parachute. According to a handbill, he was on tour in the Far East, representing Chas. Green Spencer & Sons, Aeronauts and Balloon Manufacturers, London. The stunt proved wildly popular, resulting in the kabuki dance-drama "Riding the Famous Hot-Air Balloon," pictured here with Onoe Kikugoro as Spencer at left. At right, a bearded Westerner scowls as he holds out a cloth banner. A separate scene in the center shows a young man at top center holding a mask of a tengu, a mythical winged creature with either a long nose or bird's beak. Below him, a rogue throws his hand up above his head, as he holds the wing of a tengu costume over his shoulders. The elderly Sojobo, the king of the tengu, glares at him, while the boy Ushiwakamaru, the future Yoshitsune who learned martial arts from the tengu, looks up with a frown. A fascinating kabuki triptych, beautifully detailed with burnishing in the black kimono and Sojobo's black fur vest, and embossing in the tengu mask's white hair and beard.

Artist - Kunichika (1835 - 1900)

Image Size - 13 5/8" x 27 3/4" + top margin as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Three separate panels, backed with paper. Slight soiling, small stain. Please see photos for details. Good overall.

Meiji 24: Spring Play at the Kabukiza, 1891 by Kunichika (1835 - 1900)
Meiji 24: Spring Play at the Kabukiza, 1891 by Kunichika (1835 - 1900)

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