Nakamura Tsurusuke I as the fox Tadanobu

Catalog note / 解説

Tadanobu is one of the most famous dance roles in kabuki. Tadanobu is a fox who becomes a human in order to be close to his parents, and it requires the actor to alternate between the human and fox roles. It became one of Tsurusuke's most well-known roles. In this <i>surimono</i>, or print commemorating a poetry gathering, Tsurusuke is pictured in human form but in a fox-like pose. To his left are poems by members of the Jukôdô poetry group. The one to the far left is by Tsurusuke himself, under his pen name Shishô. Both kabuki theatre and woodblock prints flourished in the Edo period (1615-1868). They were products of and contributors to the increasingly vibrant urban cultures of Edo (pres…