20 Utagawa Kunisada 1786 – 1865 Two Actors under a Cherry Tree

Japan, c. 1847–1853 (Edo period)

This highly interesting sheet features the specific uchiwa-e format, a design originally intended to be cut out and pasted onto a rigid bamboo fan frame. Because the vast majority of these prints were destroyed through everyday use, surviving uncut examples in this condition are highly prized collector's items today. The scene depicts two kabuki actors under a blooming cherry tree. The male figure, wearing a kimono with a sayagata (interlocking manji) pattern and a black chest piece, holds a blue mat over his head—a common theatrical prop used as a disguise or shield from night rain. A female character (an onnagata actor) looks up at him in surprise. The marginalia on this print are crucial for its identification. In the lower-left area is the artist's signature Toyokuni ga within a yellow-outlined toshidama cartouche. The two round censor seals (nanushi) on the left margin allow the print to be reliably dated to between 1847 and 1853. However, the greatest gem for connoisseurs is the small oval seal on the right margin reading Hori Take (彫竹). This identifies the blockcutter as Yokogawa Takejirō, one of the most celebrated and highly skilled master carvers of the 19th century.