Comment - Kabuki scene from "Tale of the Soga Brothers" ("Soga monogatari", "曽我物語"), with the elder brother "Soga Gorô" ("曽我五郎") standing at right, scowling unhappily as he holds one edge of a large blue Edo kite ("Edo-tako", "江戸凧") with a white kanji ("ji tako", "字凧"). Soga Gorô wears very unusual long side-whiskers, which give him a strange appearance. In the center, his friend, the strongman Kobayashi Asahina (小林 朝比奈) , is cuddling down. He holds the edge of the Edo-kite with one hand and a large kite line spool in the other. The thick tail ropes of the Edo kite, are attached to the kite, to be seen on the bottom of the woodblock print. Asahina wears an outer kimono with wide colorful bands over a red under robe patterned with crane feathers that matches the crest on his shoulder. His heavy sideburns and distinctive red "saruguma" or "monkey makeup" give him an impressive appearance in "aragoto" style. Asahina looks over his shoulder with a worried expression at the matron at left. She holds a blue and white kimono and a black court cap in her upraised hand. A cloud-like border separates the figures from a landscape with banners flying above rooftops and Mount Fuji in the distance.

On the right panel, kabuki super star "Ichikawa Ebizo" ("市川海老蔵") appears as "Soga Gorô", the elder one of the Soga brothers ("曽我五郎"). Strongman Asahina in the center panel may be the kabuki star "Jiǔ Suì Ichikawa" ("九歲市川"). The left panel shows the Kabuki star "Onoe HayashiTakashi" ("尾上林孝") in a female kabuki rôle.
A recently found additional left panel shows Ichimura Uzaemon (市村羽左衛門) XII or XI. The completed tetraptych maybe seen by clicking on the above picture.

The Soga Monogatari is one of the most popular stories in Japan. There are many variations of this popular kabuki script. Almost every well-known woodcut artist of his time made kabuki woodcuts with the soga monogatari. Even Kunisada made various woodcuts with this subject. Various representations with depicted kites may also be found.

Series - ~


Artist - see Biography


Signature -"GoDotei Kunisada-ga" ("五渡亭国貞画") on all panels


Publisher - Manji seal (卍)  (possibly Uedaya Kyujiro aka "Kamidaya Kyūjirō",  "上田屋久次郎")


Image Size - 34.29 X 71.8 cm (13 1/2" x 28 1/4") + margins as shown


Condition - triptych, three single panels; nishiki-e (cloured woodblock); Vertical ôban (ôban tate-e);