Hanagawado Sukeroku

Catalog note / 解説

Though the Edo period ended with the Meiji Restoration in 1868, artists such as Kunichika continued to produce brilliantly colorful woodblock prints. The popularity of this artist's work is proof that Japan's rich Kabuki and ukiyo-e traditions were not lost amidst the nation's push for modernization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This print is a depiction of Danjürö IX as Sukeroku, one of his family's signature roles. Using wonderfully bold colors, the artist references an amusing scene from the play by showing Sukeroku carrying a large number of pipes. Before Sukeroku and Ikyü first meet, the courtesans of the pleasure quarters crowd around the hero to offer him their pipes, si…