Comments - Incredible kabuki scene of a gun lying across a floor hearth firing accidentally from the flames of the fire. At lower left, a shaft of red flames shoots diagonally across the room, striking the wild-haired woman in the center, Okano Kinzaemon, whose character is described as "musume mamushi," which means "daughter of a pit viper." The woman grimaces in pain as she recoils from the shot, one foot coming off the floor as a man behind her struggles to hold her. Smoke drifts up from behind the figures as the beauty at right cowers behind her sleeve, an alarmed grin on her face. At left, the samurai Oyamada Shozaemon watches with an unhappy frown as he kneels beside the hearth. The room is shabby with cracked and missing plaster, and holds in the shoji panel at right. The actors include Kawarazaki Gonjuro as Shozaemon and Ichikawa Kodanji as Okano Kinzaemon. A dramatic and unusual subject with wonderfully expressive figures.

Artist - Kunisada II (1823 - 1880)

Image Size - 14" x 28 1/2"

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Three separate panels. Slight toning and creasing, a few small spots. Please see photos for details. Good overall.