Detail View: The AMICA Library: The actor Nakamura Noshio I as the Fox-Wife from Furui, in a dance sequence (shosagoto) in part two of the play Izu-goyomi Shibai no Ganjitsu
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AMICA ID:
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AIC_.1932.1023
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AMICA Library Year:
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1998
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Object Type:
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Prints
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Creator Name:
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Katsukawa, Shunsho
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Creator Nationality:
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Asian; Far East Asian; Japanese
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Creator Dates/Places:
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Japanese; 1726-1792 Asia,East Asia,Japan
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Katsukawa Shunsho
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Title:
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The actor Nakamura Noshio I as the Fox-Wife from Furui, in a dance sequence (shosagoto) in part two of the play Izu-goyomi Shibai no Ganjitsu
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Title Type:
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preferred
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View:
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full view
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Creation Date:
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Performed at the Morita Theater from the first day of the eleventh month, 1772. (First Performance Day of the Izu Calendar)
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Creation Start Date:
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1772
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Creation End Date:
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1772
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Materials and Techniques:
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Woodblock print.
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Classification Term:
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Woodblock
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Creation Place:
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Asia,East Asia,Japan
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Dimensions:
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Hosoban; 32.5 x 15.0 cm
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Art Institute of Chicago
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Owner Location:
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Chicago, Illinois, USA
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ID Number:
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1932.1023
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Credit Line:
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The Art Institute of Chicago, The Clarence Buckingham Collection
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Inscriptions:
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SIGNATURE: Shunsho ga
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Rights:
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Context:
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Hands raised and curled over like the forepaws of a fox, Nakamura Noshio I is shown bounding in a lively dance in the snow before an old plum tree. His brilliant over-kimono, decorated with red and green chrysanthemums, has been thrown back to reveal a red under-kimono patterned with the flaming jewel (yakara no tama) that seems to be an object of dispute in the play. The trailing robes and the long brocade sash fly upward and outward to the rhythm of the dance. Japanese folklore endows foxes with the magical power to assume human form and so trick and seduce human beings. Sometimes, however, in their human guise they betray their true animal nature with such gestures as the hands raised like paws. Notice also that the fox-woman thinks nothing of dancingbarefoot in the snow.Kabuki Nempyo simply records, without further description, that Noshio I played the role of a female fox on this occasion. The illustrated program (ehon banzuke) for the performance, however, shows us a little more of what went on (see 'The Actor's Image' catalogue, fig. 61.1, p.181). Noshio I is shown in a similar fox pose, dancing around the yakara no tama jewel, which is placed on the ground. He is joined by Nakamura Daitaro, in the role of a manservant, Tochihei, doing a handstand. This is likely a comic part of the dance, with the fox-woman using her magic to put Tochihei through his paces. The theme of a fox-woman seeking to recover a famous jewel in a snow scene at Mt. Yoshino was later standardized into the dance sequence (shosagoto) 'Meoto-gitsune' (Fox-Husband and Fox-Wife).This print may relate to another of the same play, showing Nakamura Juzo II as Kajiwara Genta no Kagetoki standing in the snow under an umbrella, holding a spool of thread. Kabuki Nempyo records that Juzo II made his entrance following Noshio I as the fox-wife by means of a cord attached to her skirts. Perhaps he was out to trap the fox.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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AIC_.E19701.TIF
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