THE FISHMONGER DANSHICHI (Utagawa Yoshiiku)

N.1 ukiyo-e woodblock print
Year: 1863
Condition: good
Size: 24 x 36 cm

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Description

The fishmonger Danshichi Kurobei (団七九郎兵衛), archetype of the Osaka otokodate (男伊達) “gallant and chivalrous” man, is a character inspired by the story of a real person who, in the winter of 1697, committed a murder in the city of Sakai (堺). The victim’s dead body was hidden in the snow and discovered in spring, after it melted.

In this beautiful woodblock print, made by the artist Utagawa Yoshiiku (歌川芳幾) and produced in May 1863 by the publisher Hayashiya Shogoro (林屋庄五郎) with the collaboration of the carver Ota Komakichi (太田駒吉), Danshichi is interpreted by the kabuki actor Kawarazaki Gonjuro I (初代河原崎権十郎).

The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the right signs of aging including slight stains, is in general good condition.