Actor Nakamura Nakazō I as Yamaoka no Saburō, in “The Ever-Blooming Potted Tree” (Kawaranu Hanasakae Hachino Ki)
Medium
Color woodblock print; hosoban
Dimensions
32.7 × 15.2 cm (12 7/8 × 6 in.) (untrimmed)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22362
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
As with hundreds of Kabuki plays, the libretto for the one that is the basis for this print, The Ever-Blooming Potted Tre e, has not survived. Its plot apparently involves a maple-viewing party made up of a group of beautiful women and demons. (Viewing the changing colors of maple leaves in the fall is still a popular Japanese pastime.) In the dance sequence pictured here, the actor is about to confront a thief who attempted to steal a treasured demon mask.