UKIYO-E - Original Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) - One Hundred Roles of Baiko (Baiko Hyakushu no Uchi) - Onoe Kikugoro V as Oiwa, 1893.

Original Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) Japanese woodblock print. A scene from One Hundred Roles of Baiko (Baiko Hyakushu no Uchi): Onoe Kikugoro V as Oiwa, 1893.

This bold design is from Kunichika's One Hundred Roles of Baiko series. Kunichika and the kabuki star, Baiko, also known as Onoe Kikugoro V, were close friends and intimates. This ambitious series of 100 prints was commissioned by Fukuda Kumajiro in 1893. The main part of each print shows the actor Onoe Kikugoro V, with the upper register showing another actor in a supporting role.

Description:
This print depicts Kunichika Baiko as the tragic woman Oiwa. The scene here is from one of the great kabuki dramas, Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan. The play is a horribly brutal account of cruel domestic violence.

This print is unusual in that the disfigurement of the main character, Oiwa, is not shown, as is common in depictions of the story, which runs as follows: Iemon and Oiwa are married, but Iemon is dissatisfied with Oiwa and their baby. Another woman, Oume, is in love with Iemon, who covets her wealth and wants to marry her instead. To get Oiwa out of the picture, Oume (or Iemon, depending on the version) sends Oiwa a poisonous cream, which disfigures half of her face and causes her hair to fall out. Iemon decides to leave Oiwa and forces a masseur named Takuetsu to rape her so that he will have a legal reason to divorce Oiwa and marry Oume. Trying to fend off Takuetsu with a sword, Oiwa accidentally stabs her own throat and dies, cursing Iemon's name. Iemon dumps his wife's body in the river, and the death is ruled a suicide. The horribly disfigured Oiwa returns to torment Iemon and his new bride, Oume.

In Act V, Scene 2, Jonen, the master of Snake Mountain Hermitage, has given shelter to a maddened Iemon. Jonen and his followers pray for Iemon, but with spectacular failure. First Oiwa kills Iemon's companion, Chobe, and then both of Iemon's natural parents, Okuma and Genshirô. In desperation, Iemon flees the hermitage into a relentless snowstorm. He literally runs into the arms of his living nemesis, Yomoshichi, who slaughters him.

Kunichika depicts a famous scene in which Oiwa strips her and the baby of their outer kimonos and seizes the mosquito net to pawn. In the main picture, Baiko is shown as Oiwa holding the mosquito net, while Kamiya Iemon (played by Nakamura Shikan) in the upper cartouche takes it to a pawn shop to get money for alcohol.

Specifications:
Artist: Kunichika, 国周 (1835 - 1900)
Signature: Kunichika hitsu (国周筆)

Title: Ghost Story of Yotsuya
Series: "Baiko Hyakushu no Uchi" (One Hundred Kabuki Roles by Onoe Baiko) no. 92

Publisher: Fukada Kumajiro
Technique: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper.
Date: Edo period, 1893

Image size in cm: 25.4w x 36h + margin as shown.

Condition: This series is one of Kunichika's finest portrait series. The quality of the print is exceptional; the colours are rich and deep. The condition and impression are excellent considering the age. The paper has slight discoloration on the left side. In the middle register, at the top of the print, there is a dark smudge.