Ichikawa Danjuro IX as Omiwa, 1883 - Terrific okubi-e or large head portrait of Ichikawa Danjuro IX as Omiwa in the play "Imoseyama onna teikin" (An Example of Noble Womanhood at Imoyama and Seyama). Omiwa has fallen in love with the young Motome, who is actually the samurai Fujiwara no Nakatomi Tankai in disguises as he plots against the evil daimyo Iruka. One night Motome follows Princess Tachibana, whom he suspects is the sister of Iruka, by tying a red thread to her robe. The jealous Omiwa in turn ties a white thread to Motome to follow him. Here, she looks up with an eager expression, the spool of delicately embossed white thread visible at lower right. Her hair is adorned with a red lacquer comb, ribbons, and two floral ornaments with tassels swinging with the movement of her head. The purple cloth at the top of her forehead is also embossed. The hair is incredibly detailed with extremely fine line work, a masterpiece of carving and printing skill, and the colorful figure is set off by a rich blue background. A fantastic kabuki design and one of Kunichika's best large head portraits.

Artist - Kunichika (1835 - 1900)

Image Size - 13 1/4" x 8 3/4" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Slight toning and soiling, small mark at edge, faint surface mark on background. Please see photos for details.