279 - UTAGAWA KUNISADA I: TRIPTYCH OF THE CAT-STONE MONSTER OF OKAZAKI FROM AN OLD TALE

UTAGAWA KUNISADA I: TRIPTYCH OF THE CAT-STONE MONSTER OF OKAZAKI FROM AN OLD TALE By Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III) (1786-1864), signed Oju Toyokuni ga Japan, dated 1847 Color woodblock print on paper. Oban triptych. The central sheet signed Oju Toyokuni ga, the outer sheets signed Shigen no oju Toyokuni ga (by Toyokuni at the request of the publisher), censor’s seals Hama and Kinugasa; publisher: Sanoya Kihei with seal ‘Sano-ki’. Title Mukashigatari Okazaki Nekoishi yokai (The Cat-Stone Monster of Okazaki from an Old Tale). Kabuki triptych from the play ‘Onoe Baiju ichidai banashi’, performed at Ichimura theatre in 7/1847. The actors (from left to right): Sawamura Sojuro V, Onoe Baiju (Onoe Kikugoro III), Ichimura Uzaemon XII. SIZE 36.5 x 25.4 cm (each sheet) Condition: Good condition with wear, light soiling, minor creasing, and scattered minuscule wormholes in the lower margins. The reverse with remnants of old paper mounting in the upper corners. The present triptych commemorates the 1847 production of 'Onoe Baiju Ichidai Banashi' at the Ichimura-za, staged as a farewell performance marking Onoe Kikugoro III's retirement from the Edo stage. The production reworked the celebrated 'Okazaki Monster Cat' episode from 'Hitori Dochu Gojusan Tsugi'. In this tradition, the supernatural cat appears in an old temple disguised as an elderly woman in elaborate court robes before revealing its monstrous identity. The National Museum of Japanese History notes that this conception of the bakeneko drew upon established Edo-period beliefs and imagery surrounding supernatural cats. Kunisada heightens the theatrical revelation by allowing the gigantic feline apparition to dominate all three sheets. Its enormous staring eyes and exposed teeth emerge behind the human figures, while the vertical blinds and hanging textiles retain the sense of an actual stage interior. The contrast between the frail, wild-haired figure of the old woman and the colossal cat behind her makes the moment of transformation immediately legible, turning one of Edo kabuki's best-known supernatural episodes into a particularly striking triptych. Utagawa Kunisada I (1786-1864), who assumed the name Toyokuni III in 1844, was born in the Honjo district of Edo as Kunisada Tsunoda. Kunisada’s family owned a small hereditary ferryboat service. Though his father, an amateur poet, died when Kunisada was a child, the family business provided some financial security. During his childhood, he showed considerable promise in painting and drawing. Due to strong familial ties with literary and theatrical circles, he spent time studying actor portraits (yakusha-e), recording leading kabuki performers in both portrait and dramatic narrative compositions. Museum comparison: Compare a closely related triptych by the same artist, with the same seals, in the Waseda University Theatre Museum, inventory numbers 100-8855, 100-8856, and 100-8857. Auction comparison: Compare a related print triptych by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, at Christie’s, From Artist to Woodblock: Japanese Prints Online, 29 September 2021, New York, lot number 107 (sold for USD 4,000 or approx. EUR 4,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).