Description
Important original woodblock print of vertical large oban (大判) format produced in 1859 by the publisher Otaya Takichi (太田屋多吉), taken from the series “Dashing Men Who Have Taken Alternate Names” (異名取気男意揃) by the famous artist Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) and depicting the fireman Omatsuri Sashichi (お祭り佐七), played by the actor Kawarazaki Gonjuro I (初代河原崎権十郎).
Sashichi, nicknamed “Omatsuri”, ie “Festival”, by his commander, is the protagonist of a tragic love story, represented several times in kabuki theater, with the geisha Koito (芸者小糸). The plot develops around the deception in which the two lovers are drawn: they are led to believe that Koito belongs to a clan that caused the death of Sashichi’s parents. The two will be forced to end their relationship and Sashichi will even end up killing his beloved.
The precious print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging including small restorations on the binding holes and a small rust stain on the upper edge, is in good general condition.
