Hasegawa Munehiro (active. 1848 - 1867) Jitsukawa Enzaburo I as Soga Juro, 1850's. Deluxe Chuban.
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Little is known of Munehiro; he was an Osaka artist, a pupil of Hasegawa Sadanobu (from whom he took his first name) and he produced a small number of single and multi-sheet theatre prints. This print shows the influence both of Sadanobu and Hirosada (of whom he is thought to have been a pupil). A deluxe print; the design shimmers with golden bronze powder, the drawing, design and colour are very strong and the print is in near perfect condition.
The design is a portrait of the actor Jitsukawa Enzaburo I as Soga Juro. The Revenge of the Soga Brothers was a play based upon a real historical event on June 28, 1193, during a hunting trip arranged by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo. The brothers, Juro and Goro, took revenge upon their father’s murderer, Kudo Suketsune. It was one of the most celebrated of the revenge dramas in Edo Japan. Kudo had treacherously killed their father the wrestler Kawazu no Saburo, when they were children and the boys were were raised by Soga no Taro. They planned their revenge for eighteen years. In 1193, Kudo was accompanying the Shogun on a hunting trip at the base of Mount Fuji, when the brothers burst into his tent and killed him. There followed a huge fight wherein they were set upon by Kudo’s retainers who killed Juro and captured Goro. Despite the justice of their case, Goro was executed on the orders of the Shogun.
The incident and its subsequent retelling was popular among the Edo population because of its emphasis on loyalty, family and a growing resentment of authority. Through habit and tradition, the brothers are represented in the same or similar manner, both in the theatre and in the concomitant prints. Here we see Soga Juro, portrayed on stage by the kabuki actor, Jitsukawa Enzaburo I. We can compare various performances, recorded by other artists and notice that Soga is always robed in a costume decorated with stylised plovers. This wading bird (Chidori in Japanese) is symbolic in Japan of loyalty and courage especially to family… it is said that its call (chiyo) means "one thousand generations."
A superb chuban portrait of Jitsukawa Enzaburo I as Soga Juro. Complete with full margins, unbacked and untrimmed. Colour and impression are fine, thick paper and extensive metallics. Condition is fine.
18cm x 25cm.
