Description
On a full moon night at the foot of Mount Marutsuka (丸塚山), the young Hamaji (浜路), mortally wounded by the evil Aboshi Samojiro (網干左母次郎) who had kidnapped her, meets her half-brother Inuyama Dosetsu (犬山道節), which we see here holding the sword Murasame (村雨), just stolen from Samojiro and with which he killed him.
This rare woodblock print, inspired by the stories of the eight half-brothers Hakkenshi (八犬士) “dog warriors”, is taken from the series “A Collection of Kyogen Actors” (俳優狂言尽の内) by the artist Toyohara Kunichika (豊原国周). The woman is played by the actor Nakamura Fukusuke (中村福助), instead the role of Dosetsu is played by Ichikawa Danjuro (市川団十郎).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), produced in April 1888 by the publisher Naraha Shubei (楢葉周平), despite the right signs of aging including small stains, a slight pressure mark from a paper clip on the top edge and a tiny tear on the lower left corner, is in overall good condition thanks also to a relining carried out on the back.
