Utagawa Kunisada/Toyokuni III (1786-1865) First Autumn Leaves (Hatsu kōyō ogura shikishi) 1856. Oban.
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Kabuki 21, has the following excellent description of the plot of this play:
The full-length play is the story of Chûbê, the adopted son of a family firm of official money couriers. He is in love with the courtesan Umegawa and has arranged to ransom her. But Chûbê has a rival, his friend Hachiemon. One day when Chûbê visits the pleasure quarters, Hachiemon says that he will ransom Umegawa himself. The proprietor of the brothel is sympathetic to Chûbê, but if he cannot come up with the money to ransom Umegawa, she will have to go to Hachiemon. Finally pressed by his love for Umegawa, Chûbê steals some bundles of gold coins with which he has been entrusted, a crime punishable by death. Chûbê and Umegawa leave in desperation since the law will soon catch up with him.
They escape to his home village traveling through the snow. Chûbê longs to see his father Magoemon, but they are strangers since officially they are not related after Chûbê was adopted by the money courier's family. But arresting officers have already reached the village and if Magoemon sees or speaks with Chûbê, he will be forced to turn him over to the authorities. Chûbê and Umegawa take refuge in a cottage and see Magoemon walk by, but duty prevents them from meeting. Magoemon slips on the ice and Umegawa rushes to help him. He soon realises who she is, but they pretend to take care of each other, Umegawa pretending that he is a man very much like her father in law and Magoemon careful to say that he appreciates her kindness, but cannot accept her as his daughter in law. Umegawa finds a way around Magoemon's scruples by offering to blindfold him so that he can have a final parting from his son. Magoemon quickly accepts and, as father and son tearfully clasp hands, she pulls the blindfold off and Magoemon embraces his son, his natural feeling as a father overcoming his sense of duty. But just at this moment, the arresting officers are heard and Magoemon urges them to escape, calling after them as they disappear across the snowy landscape.
The print shows, Iwai Kumesaburo as Tsuchiya Umekawa (L), Bando Hikosaburo as Magoemon (C), Kataoka Gadou as Chubei (R). This is a fine triptych… an unusual piece and tremendously sought after because the print on the wall in the distressed house is identifiable as one of the sheets from the famous Gonin Otokodate set, which Kunisada made in the early 1830s. It is very difficult to find Edo period ukiyo-e prints depicting identifiable ukiyo-e within the picture. Of course Parisian artists of the 1860’s and 70’s such as Edouard Manet, used this device of ukiyo-e on a screen in paintings such as Manet’s 1868 Portrait of Emile Zola.
This is a splendid… and a highly collectible Kunisada print. Colour, condition and impression are all excellent. Burnishing to Chube's robes. A fine print.
76 x 37 cm.
