Description
Interesting woodblock print of the shini-e (死絵) type, memorial portrait of Ichikawa Danjuro IX (九代目市川團十郞), one of the most successful kabuki actors of the Meiji period (明治時代), who died on September 13, 1903. Ninth in the line of actors to hold the name Ichikawa Danjuro, he is depicted in countless ukiyo-e (浮世絵) prints and is widely credited with ensuring kabuki stayed vibrant and strong as Japan struggled with a pressing modernization and Westernization.
The work was made by the artist Migita Toshihide (右田年英) and, in the upper left, we read the real name of the actor Horikoshi Hideshi (堀越秀), the posthumous name Tamagaki Michimori Hikonomikoto (玉垣道守彦霊), the stage name and the date of his death.
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), produced by the publisher Akiyama Buemon (秋山武右衛門), owner of Kokkeido (滑稽堂), is in very good general condition.
