Kabuki actor bijin portrait of a beauty looking down while biting on a white cloth pretending hesitation or fear. She is lost in thought, and stretches out the end of the white scarf with one hand, and wears a purple kimono with a yakko kite (yakko dako, 奴凧). The sleeves of her kimono bear a large writing. The colourful patterned kanji characters seem to repeat then name of the role, written within the red cassette on the Shōji (障子, sliding door). Her boldly striped red and white obi is tied in a large bow at her back, and she carries a sword at her side. A sprig of red Japanese maple leaves frames the blue sky in front of the porch. The Print maybe a part of a multiptych (cf. yellow tube center left rim).

Series - ~


Artist - see Biography

Signature -	"Toyokuni ga" ("豊国 画"), in streched oval brownish-red toshidama cartouche (Otoshidama-in, 年玉印), lower right side; left to the toshidama cassette with block cutters seal (彫師) of Yokokawa Takejirô (Hori Take, 彫竹) (small yellowish cassette);
	date seal of November "kaei 6" (1853) and double nanushi censor seals on the lower Shōji (障子, sliding door): Meira (米良) - XI kaei 6 (丑 十一) - Watanabe (渡邊) (date seal between both censor seals)

Publisher - Maruya Seijiro (丸屋清次郎); circular publisher's seal under the block cutters seal (Sei, 清)

Image Size - 36.2 X 24.8 cm (14 1/2" x 9 3/4")


Condition - single panel; nishiki-e (cloured woodblock); Vertical ôban (ôban tate-e);