19 Utagawa Kunisada 1786 – 1865 Maisaka: Ichimura Uzaemon XII as Komachiya Sōshichi

from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road (Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi)
publisher: Tsujiokaya Bunsuke (Kinshodo)

This print depicts the celebrated kabuki actor Ichimura Uzaemon XII (1799–1852) in the role of Komachiya Soshichi, from a popular stage play. The scene is set near Maisaka, one of the fifty-three stations along the famous Tokaido road connecting Edo and Kyoto. Kunisada merges a serene and realistic landscape with the expressive depiction of the actor, creating a poetic contrast between the quiet rural setting and the intense theatrical gesture in the foreground. 

The Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi series, produced in the early 1850s, stands among the highlights of Kunisada’s late period, exemplifying his refined synthesis of kabuki portraiture and landscape art.