16 Utagawa Kunisada 1786 – 1865 Hiratsuka: Manchō’s Daughter Okoma

from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi no uchi)
publisher: Iseya Kanekichi

The actor Iwai Kumesaburō III (1818–1882) is depicted in the female role of Okoma, the innkeeper Manchō’s daughter, from a kabuki play set near the post station of Hiratsuka on the Tōkaidō Road. The tranquil view of Mount Fuji in the background contrasts beautifully with the elegance of the figure in the foreground. Kunisada’s 1852 Tōkaidō series ranks among the most admired works of his late period, notable for its harmonious synthesis of portraiture and landscape poetry.