53 Kunisada III Utagawa 1848 – 1920 Record of Kōno Chōei – New Kabuki Play at the Meijiza Theatre

This triptych depicts a dramatic scene from the kabuki play Kōno Chōei-ki, performed at the Meijiza Theatre in Tokyo. The play tells the story of the scholar and physician Kōno Chōei (1809–1851), persecuted by the shogunate for disseminating Western science and ideas.

The artist skillfully combines historical and supernatural motifs – such as the tengu mask and demonic figures – with vibrant coloring and richly patterned costumes. The scene merges theatrical pathos with a moral undertone about the conflict between knowledge and authority. From left to right, the print shows a struggle between celestial beings and humans: actor Ichikawa Kodaji as the pilgrim of the sea god Kimpira carrying a tengu mask on his back; the shrine maiden Hayase portrayed by Nakamura Naritarō; and Ichikawa Sadanji as the fox deity Inari, dressed in a magnificent kimono, red wig, and with a sweeping fox tail.

A pupil of Kunisada II, Utagawa Hōsai – also known under various art names such as Baidō, Kōchōrō, Kunimasa IV, Kunisada III, Toyokuni IV or V – lived to the age of 72 and was renowned for his technical mastery and ability to emulate the late Meiji-period style of the Utagawa school, particularly that established by Kunichika.