Description
Precious diptych of woodblock prints depicting the samurai Sakuramaru (桜丸) and his wife Yae (女房八重), respectively interpreted by the actors Ichimura Uzaemon (市村羽左衛門) and Sawamura Tanosuke (沢村田之助). The spouses are among the protagonists of the famous kabuki play “Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy” (菅原伝授手習鑑) in which, charmed by an affair that reminds them of their own love, they faithfully serve the imperial prince Tokiyo (斎世親王) who has fallen in love with the beautiful princess Kariya (苅屋姫).
The prints, made in 1861 by the artist Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞), were produced by the publisher Katoya Iwazo (加藤屋岩蔵) and bear the seal Hori Take (彫竹), that is the signature of the carver Yokokawa Takejiro (横川竹二郎).
The woodcuts on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging, are in overall very good condition.
